Harry Potter and the Year of Searching
by zacanger
Summary: COMPLETED! My first multichap. It's rated just to be safe. HG with RH on the side. Please RR! Sixth year fic, now AU. No sequel.
1. Back To The Burrow

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Disclaimer: The usual, I own the plot and anything new, other people own the rest.  
  
This is my first real attempt at a serious fanfic-one that's actually planned out and will have more than just one chapter. Please R/R.  
  
Chapter One: Back to the Burrow  
  
Harry woke up late that July 30th, as he had no reason not to sleep in. The Dursley's hadn't bothered him much that summer, due to the dementor attack last summer and the threats from his guards at King's Cross Station at the beginning of the holidays. He was expecting an invitation to the Burrow andy day now, as well as his birthday cards that night. Hedwig had gone hunting the night before and hadn't yet returned.  
  
Harry sighed, resigned to the fact that he wouldn't be able to sleep in any later, and sat up, yawning. He looked in the mirror in his wardrobe, ran a hand through his ever-messy hair, and dressed. Then he went downstairs, fixed himself a piece of toast, and glanced through the newspaper. The Muggles still hadn't caught wind of Voldemort and the Death Eater attacks-Fudge was still pretending nothing had happened, even after the incident at the Ministry at the beginning of the summer. Gulping down a glass of juice, Harry went back upstairs to work on his Potions homework, an especially tough essay on the properties of a rare African fungus and its uses in sensory-enhancing potions.  
  
After an hour of reading and copying down useful passages, Harry took a break. He pulled out his Firebolt and polished it, even though he had just done it last night. He was interupted from his inspection of the spotless shaft when Hedwig flew in the window and landed on Harry's bed, extending her leg so he could untie a letter. "Thanks, Hedwig," Harry said to the bird, as she flew into her cage, dropping the dead mouse onto its bottom. Harry unfolded the parchment and read a hastily written note from Ron:  
  
Harry,  
  
Just found out. Get ready, we're going to pick you up at about three today. We won't come through Floo, hope you don't mind a Portkey. See you then,  
  
Ron  
  
Harry grinned at the though of getting out of Privet Drive, and started packing his belongings. He set his Potions homework on top of everything else in his trunk to finish later, and then closed and locked it. He did one last inspection of his room, make sure nothing was left behind, then went down to inform the Dursleys of the Weasleys' imminent arrival.  
  
"Hey," he started, seeing Uncle Vernon.  
  
"What d'you want, boy?" Vernon grunted.  
  
"My friend Ron's coming around three to pick me up," Harry replied.  
  
"Oh, right. Not coming through the walls again, are they? If they are, you can write to them and tell them, tell them just to come like-like normal people, all right?" Vernon was oddly pale-he must have been remembering the event at the start of Harry's fourth year, when the Weasleys came through the Floo Network, only to find that the fireplace at Number 4, Privet Drive had been boarded over.  
  
"No, they're coming... another way," Harry finished lamely.  
  
"Well, okay then." Vernon grunted, turning away.  
  
"So... I'll just go finish packing then," Harry said. He knew he had finished packing, but he just wanted to get away from Uncle Vernon before he could refuse to allow the Weasleys to come to fetch Harry. Harry trotted up to his room and laid on his bed. He couldn't wait until three o'clock, when he would get to see his friends for the first time in weeks.  
  
After a hurried lunch of celery and crackers, Harry retreated back to his room to make sure everything was ready. At three, he went down to the sitting room to wait.  
  
At five past, he heard the doorbell ring and he jumped up, running to the door. He yanked it open and saw something totally unexpected before him.  
  
This sight was Ginny Weasley, alone, and looking very different from at the end of last school year. She had apparently grown up over the summer, and rather than the blushing little girl who was Ron's sister, he saw before him a blossoming young lady. He was speechless at this sight, until she said, with a mischevious flash in her eyes, "Well, aren't you going to invite me in?"  
  
Harry blushed at his rudeness and said, "Of course, come in. Is Ron here?"  
  
Ginny replied, "Yeah, but he and dad are just going to wait outside. You must be Petunia Dursley," she said, turning to Aunt Petunia and offering her hand. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Dursley. And Mr. Dursley," she said, turning from the shocked Petunia to a dazed Vernon. "And Dudley," she added, waving at Harry's cowering cousin. "Harry's told us so much about you all. It's nice to finally meet you. Is your trunk ready?" She asked Harry, who was rather shocked at her behaviour.  
  
"Uh, yeah," he responded finally, "it's in my room, I'll go get it."  
  
"I'll help," she said and she followed him upstairs and took one end of his trunk. They walked back down, to find the Dursleys exactly as they had left them. "Well, it was nice meeting you all. Good-bye," Ginny said with a wave.  
  
"See you next summer, I guess," Harry added, grinning at their expressions. With that the pair walked out the door, closing it behind them. Harry didn't say anything until they were at the end of the walk, and then he turned to Ginny. "That was amazing!" He grinned at her.  
  
"You think so?" she asked, also grinning.  
  
"Yeah, bloddy brilliant! Wow! The expressions on their faces...." He laughed a little, shaking his head.  
  
"Language, Mr. Potter!" Ginny laughed back at him. "Yeah, that was good, I guess. Come on, let's go back home." She led the way down the sidewalk to a corner where Ron and Mr. Weasley were waiting nervously. Ron spotted them and stopped pacing.  
  
"Hey, Harry! How'd it go?" he asked them.  
  
"Great, really. Ginny was... well, you had to be there, really. She shocked them, I think," Harry said, grinning.  
  
"Harry, how've you been? How have the Muggles treated you?" Mr. Weasley asked him, shaking his hand.  
  
"Oh, they were fine. Well behaived. Ignored me for the most part, which is an improvement, really," Harry replied, shaking back.  
  
"Well, shall we go then? Okay, all of you, put a finger on this bit of parchment. Harry, grab your trunk, and I'll take the other end. Got everything? Okay." Mr. Weasley looked around to make sure no Muggles were watching, then pulled out his wand, placed a finger on the parchment, tapped it with his wand, and muttered something Harry couldn't make out. Suddenly Harry felt a now-familiar jerk behing his navel and they were spinning through the air, attached to the parchment, Harry's trunk swinging between his hand and Mr. Weasley's. Then Harry felt his feet slam into the ground, and Ginny staggered into him, knocking him over. The trunk landed next to them, and Ron and Mr. Weasley both landed on their feet.  
  
Harry looked up and saw a most welcome sight-the Burrow.  
  
AN: Ok, I figure that's enough for one chapter. I hope this is all right. I don't have an editor or team of beta readers or anything the way my favorite fanfic authors all do, so this is the best I can do alone. Please review! Tell me everything you liked about it, and everything you didn't. Don't flame me please, but if you have any constructive criticism, I'd be glad to hear you out and incorporate you suggestions into my future writing. Thank you all for reading this far. Now review! 


	2. The First Day Back

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Two: The First Day Back  
  
"Harry!" Mrs. Wealey called, rushing towards them from the burrow. "How are you? You look underfed. Arthur, there's been an owl from the ministry. Something urgent. Ron, why don't you help Harry put his trunk in your room?"  
  
Grinning at his reception, Harry picked up one end of the trunk while Ron took the other. They carried it upstairs to Ron's orange room, covered in everything Chudley Cannons. Meanwhile Ron was giving Harry an update on the news over the summer. "Bill and Charlie are in Europe working for the Order, and Percy's still not talking to any of us. Hermione got here last week, she's sleeping in Ginny's room, and-"  
  
"And," Ginny interrupted, "Ron and Hermione have been hol-" Ron covered her mouth his hand.  
  
"That's-er-nothing mate. Don't know what she's talking about," Ron said hurriedly, but he was blushing and glaring at Ginny, who stuck out her tongue at him and stomped out of the room.  
  
Ron slammed the door behind her at glared at Harry instead, as if daring him to say anything. Harry just set his trunk against the wall and pretended nothing had happened. "So," he asked, "did you finish that essay for Snape?"  
  
"Yeah," replied Ron. "Well, no. I mean, Hermione finished it, so I just copied hers. Here, you can borrow mine," he said, pulling a roll of parchment off a shelf.  
  
"Thanks," Harry grinned. "I didn't think I'd ever get it done."  
  
"No problem, mate. You wanna go down and get something to eat? I dunno about you, but I'm starved."  
  
"No, you go on, I just ate lunch. I'll just copy this over and then I'll be down, all right?"  
  
"Okay then, see you." Ron left, leaving the door open. Harry pulled out his quill and ink bottle, as well as a fresh sheet of parchment, and started copying over Ron's essay. He was interrupted when Hermione ran in the room, followed by Ginny. Harry put down his school stuff and stood up.  
  
"Harry, how are you? Are you copying Ron's homework?" she asked, eyeing the parchement.  
  
"Well, yeah, but he copied it from you, didn't he?" Harry asked, grinning at her sudden change.  
  
"Yeah, he did," she said, and she gave him hug. "Come on down. You can copy that later."  
  
"All right, I'm coming." He followed the girls out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was explaining to Ron where Mr. Weasley had gone.  
  
"There was a big attack in Germany this morning. Normally your father's office wouldn't be involved, but the Ministry needs all the help they can get right now, especially with Fudge still saying You-Know-Who isn't back, even after what happened earlier this year, it's really ridiculous-oh, hi, Harry dear, we were just discussing-well, you heard." Mrs. Weasley looked a little flustered, as if she didn't know what to do with herself  
  
"Yeah, Mrs. Weasley. Have there been a lot of attacks like this? I don't really hear much with the Muggles."  
  
"Oh, no, not many. Speaking of Muggles, how did they treat you? Did they let you eat properly this summer?"  
  
"Well, Dudley's still on a diet, so that means I am too, but I ate enough, yeah."  
  
"Well, you don't look like you've had any proper meals in weeks." Harry grinned at her mothering, declined any food, and went into the living room with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. They all sat down and started to talk about school, who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher would be, Quidditch, and the Firebolt, and soon the boys were in a deep discussion about broom tweaking, with Ginny adding occasional comments and Hermione dozing, curled up in a ball in her armchair. Harry went upstairs and fetched his Firebolt and his broom care kit, and Ron helped him polish it again and straighten its twigs.  
  
After a while Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen to let them know dinner would be ready shortly. Ron woke Hermione up, and their eyes locked and Hermione blushed. Harry met Ginny's eyes and raised his eyebrows, and she looked back, grinning. Obviously something was up between Ron and Hermione. Harry resolved to ask Ginny about this later.  
  
During dinner, Ron actually complimented Hermione, bringing Harry to lock eyes with Ginny again. He wondered how long this had been going on. About midway through the meal, Mr. Weasley Apparated in and sat down at the table, serving himself and giving the news about the attack. Some Muggles were injured, but the German Ministry had stopped the attack before any serious damage was done. All of the Death Eaters involved had Apparated when the Ministry officials had arrived on the scene. The British Ministry was in a state of chaos, with news going back and forth between the islands and the continent, and people leaving through the Floo to Germany to help out with the problem. Mr. Weasley, apparently, wasn't needed all that much, so he came home for dinner.  
  
Conversation was subdued that night, and after dinner and cleaning up, the four teens headed back to their rooms to do their homework. It was around eight at night when Harry went back downstairs to the living room where Hermione and Ginny were talking. Ron came down shortly after, and they all talked about the attack, and the problems with the ministry, and the latest news. They decided to call it a night when Ginny dozed off, and they went to bed, their minds full of thoughts about the attacks and, in Harry's case, about Ron and Hermione. He finally fell asleep into uneasy dreams.  
  
AN: Well, here's another chapter. Remember, I need reviews, all right? So keep 'em coming! 


	3. The Birthday Party

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Three: The Birthday Party  
  
Harry woke up early on his sixteenth birthday. It was just dawn, and it sounded as though the house was still asleep. He laid in bed, pondering the news from last night, and wondering whether Ron and Hermione had really changed over the summer. And then he thought about Ginny, and how much she had changed. She had grown both phyiscally and mentally, and maybe emotionally as well. She wasn't clumsy around him anymore, and she even seemed to be able to hold a normal conversation with him. Maybe her relationships with Michael Cormer and Dean Thomas had helped her get over her crush on him. It was strange though. He realised he'd started to like Ginny, as a friend, that is. She was easy to talk to now, now that she could hold a real conversation with him.  
  
Harry heard Ron moving around in his bed, and he decided it was time to get up. He got up, showered and dressed, and went downstairs to see if anyone else was up. Hermione and Ginny were both up, and Ron was still upstairs. The elder Weasleys were apparently still asleep.  
  
"'Morning," Harry said to the girls, as he took a seat in one of the battered chairs in the living room.  
  
"Good morning," Hermione said back. "Is Ron up yet?"  
  
"Yeah, he was just getting up when I came down," Harry replied, wondering why Hermione cared. He looked at Ginny, who seemed to be having the same thoughts. At that moment, Ron came down the stairs and sat down in a chair facing Hermione's.  
  
"Hi Ron," Hermione said.  
  
"'Hi. Happy birthday, Harry," said Ron.  
  
"Oh, yeah, happy birthday. Sweet sixteen," Ginny smiled at him, and for some reason this caused his heart to beat faster.  
  
"Yeah, it is, isn't it," Harry said. "Sweet sixteen...."  
  
Then they heard Mrs. Weasley coming down the stairs. She told them all good morning and went into the kitchen to prepare some breakfast.  
  
After a great meal, the teens went outside to de-gnome the garden. Harry noticed how Ron kept starting at Hermione, and he caught Ginny's eye and indicated that he wanted to talk. They walked around tothe other side of the garden and he asked, "Have you noticed Ron and Hermione?"  
  
"Yeah," she said, "it's about time."  
  
"What d'you mean?" he asked, bewildered.  
  
"Well, isn't it obvious?"  
  
"Um... no, not to me, anyway."  
  
"Boys! Well, they've obviously liked each other since at least fourth year. Remember when Ron like that Veela girl, and Hermione got mad at him, and she went to the ball with Krum and the had a big row about that? They were jealous! So it's about time they realized they like each other."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Have they been like that since Hermione got here?" Harry asked.  
  
"When Hermione got here, she had on some make-up, which I think confused Ron a little. Mum doesn't really approve of make-up, so she stopped wearing it, but after that Ron noticed her more. That reminds me, what I was going to say yesterday, but Ron covered my mouth, I caught them holding hands." She giggled. "They were so embarrased about it afterwards."  
  
"Just holding hands?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"And staring at each other with wide eyes. It was so... I dunno, just weird. My brother and my friend."  
  
"Yeah, that would be a little weird, wouldn't it? Anyway, I guess we should go back before we're missed."  
  
They walked back the garden, and Harry stole another glance at the pair, who seeemed to have moved closer in their abscense.  
  
After the degnoming, the four took a walk around the property. They went back for lunch, then went up to Ron's room to finish up their homework. Hermione was already done with hers, so she helped the others. Harry finally finished his Potions essay, and since that was his last bit of work and Hermione was helping Ron, he went over to see what Ginny was doing.  
  
Ginny was just finishing up her Charms homework, and when she finally put down her quill, she looked over at Ron and Hermione, who were sitting a little closer to each other than normal friends should. "Just look at them," she whispered. "They think they can hide it. It's obvious they're not even doing work, Ron's just staring at her."  
  
"Yeah," Harry grinned, "its almost sickening. My best friends, like that. He saw them lean towards each other as Hermione held Ron's hand, and he called out, "Hey, take it somewhere private!"  
  
Blushing, they broke apart. "What are you talking about?" asked Ron. "What do you mean?" He obviously knew just what they meant, because his face was hot enough fry and egg on.  
  
"Come on, Ginny, let's leave these two alone," Harry said, helping her up. He closed the door behind them, and once they were out, Ginny burst out laughing.  
  
"Did you see his face?! I'm never going to forget that. They grinned at each other and made their way down to the living room.  
  
That night, Fred and George apparated into the living room, bringing with them boxes of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes fireworks and loads of candy. They had a birthday party for Harry, including a large cake in the shape of a Snitch made by Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. Harry opened his gifts, which included a book on Seeker tactics from Ron, a set of large, beautiful quills from Hermione, a box of tricks from the twins, and a new watch from Ginny, to replace his old one which hadn't worked since his fourth year. After dinner and cake they all went out to play a short game of Quidditch in the remaining light. The teams were Harry, Ginny and Ron against Fred, George and Hermione, and they only used a Quaffle, which was actually an old Muggle soccer ball. Harry's team was ahead by fifty points when it became to dark to play anymore, and they went back in, tired but happy.  
  
They all stayed up late talking and occasionally using one of the twins' tricks until it was midnight and they decided to go to bed.  
  
AN: Another chapter. Please tell me what you think! From now on, I want at least one review per chapter or I won't post the next chapter, ok? Just click that button down there that says "Submit Review." I'll take anything except flames. Constructive criticism is A-OK. BTW, I realize these chapters are really short, and I'll work on making them longer for the future. Thanks for reading. 


	4. Return to Hogwarts

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Four: Return to Hogwarts  
  
The next month passed quickly, marked only by a few important events. Not long after Harry's birthday, the school owls arrived, and their school letters were accompanied by a Prefect's badge for Ginny. Mrs. Weasley nearly fell over herself in excitement, preparing for a party that night. During the gathering, Harry found out that when Ginny told Ron that she was going out with Dean Thomas, she had only said that to get a reaction from him. For some reason, this made harry a bit happier, and he couldn't figure out why.  
  
The next week, they all made a trip to Diagon Alley to pick up their school supplies. Outside Madam Malkins', they ran into none other than Draco Malfoy.  
  
"Well, well," sneered Draco upon seeing the group. "Here we have two weasely red-heads and their friends, the Mudblood and the hero. Everyone loves Harry Potter, don't they?" Malfoy laughed coldly as Hermione held the back of Ron's robes. "The brave Harry Potter, who went running to the Ministry because of a nightmare. I see you've found yourself a girlfriend, Potter. It seems the only girl you could get is through charity, isn't it? Well-"  
  
"And you, Malfoy," snarled Harry back at him, "it seems the only girl you could get is Pansy Parkinson, isn't it? That fat cow is the only one who'd take a great git like you!"  
  
"I would watch what I say if I were you, Potter. These are dangerous times. Words like that, to the wrong person, could get you in a lot of trouble. You and your Muggle-loving friends." With that, Malfoy walked off, leaving Ron and Harry fuming.  
  
After that encounter, no one really felt like eating, so instead of going back to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch, they just went back to the Burrow.  
  
The rest of the month passed without incident, and suddenly it was September first. They enjoyed a peaceful ride on the train to Hogwarts, without even encountering Malfoy and his lackeys. When they arrived in the Great hall, they all glanced up at the head table. They new Defense teacher was none other than Kingsley Shacklebolt. After the Sorting and the feast, they all worked their way back to the common room. Harry was in first, and he waited for the rest. When Ginny came in, she tripped over the threshold and landing in Harry's arms. He had never been this close to her before, and he looked into her dark eyes, studied the shape of her face, for what seemed to be an hour. A second after tripping, she blushed and walked quickly off to the girls' dormitories. Harry looked up, bewildered, and saw Ron and Hermione staring at him, not far off. Ron was staring as though Harry had an extra eye, and Hermione was almost giggling and was casting knowing glances in his direction. Harry shrugged and made his way to his dorm, where he quickly fell asleep.  
  
Life went as normal as life could go at Hogwarts for his first day, with no more encounters with Malfoy or Ginny. On the second day, after the rush of owls, Harry heard Malfoy's voice ring out. "Hey Potter, have you seen this?" Harry turned and saw Draco and Pansy approaching, carrying a magazine. Pansy threw it at Ginny, saying, "Here, read this. Not pregnant yet, are you?" Laughing, she and Draco strutted back to their table.  
  
"What's she talking about?" Ron asked in bewilderment.  
  
Ginny looked at the cover and blushed, then tried to hide the magazine. "Oh, it's nothing, just something stupid." Before she could tuck it away, Harry snatched it from her and scanned the cover, and turned red himself in anger.  
  
"They-they-I can't believe this! How can they do this?!" He threw the magazine, Witch Weekly, at Hermione, who read the cover and handed it to Ron.  
  
"Here," Ron said, handing it back to Harry. "Read it to us, quickly. What's it say?"  
  
The cover featured a photo of Harry and Ginny in Diagon Alley, and the headline read, "Harry Potter's New Love." Harry flipped the magazine open and turned to the article. He read it in a whisper to the other three. It was all about his secret love life with Ginny Weasley, and included comments from other students-mostly Slytherins-in the school. It talked about how Harry and Ginny had be caught, numerous times, in highly suspicious circumstances, how Ginny had been chasing after Harry since his first year at Hogwarts, about the rumours of Ginny's pregnancy that were circulating through the school. Harry, outraged, read the entire thing to his friends. Hermione snatched the magazine when he was finished and ripped it up.  
  
"Well, that's a complete load of rubbish! Let's go, we don't want to be late for our classes." She and Ron walked off, and Harry stole a glance at Ginny, who was staring at the remains of the magazine.  
  
She turned and saw him looking at her, and she said, "Like Hermione said, it's rubbish." They got up and went off to their classes, tossing the magazine in a trash can on the way.  
  
AN: Sorry, I know it's another short chapter. Here are replies to reviews I got-I was amazed, three reviews in one day is incredible for me.  
  
dishant: Of course I will.  
  
Grand Lyoko Master: Yup.  
  
Loupylou: Sorry about that. Like I said, writing at 10 PM without editing later doesn't always have the best results. About the RWHG ship, that's really just a side thing in this fanfic. I'm mainly concentrating on the perfect pair, Harry/Ginny. But don't worry, Ron and Hermione will get some mention. Oh, and I read your fic-it's great, write more!  
  
ShaneXvga: Thanks! 


	5. Quidditch

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Five: Quiddich  
  
School continued pretty much as usual for the next few weeks, except that things became incredibly uncomfortable between Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione seemed to become more open about their relationship, and the Slytherins were quoting the Witch Weekly article at Harry and Ginny every chance they got. Shacklebolt was a decent teacher, but wasn't as interesting as Moody or Lupin. At least he didn't assign loads of homework in the first week. Then the first Hogsmeade weekend arrived.  
  
The quartet went together, and bought the usual and Honeydukes, Zonkos, and elsewhere. Finally, their bags stuffed and moneybags much lighter, then stepped into the Three Broomsticks for Butterbeers all around. Midway through their drinks, they saw Professors Flitwick, Hagrid, and Shacklebolt step in. They ordered their drinks and started a hushed conversation. Harry signalled to the others to keep quiet, and he listened as well as he could.  
  
They couldn't hear much, but on the way back to the castle they pooled their knowledge and worked out that there had been a large attack in America, in the New York State area; there had also been single Muggle killings on the continent, each accompanied with the Dark Mark. The most fearsome news was that an entire Muggle village had been attacked, with over a dozen dead. The Ministry had been working way overtime to try to keep this from the Muggle news.  
  
The rest of the day was quiet between the four friends. They were all pondering what they had overheard in the Three Broomsticks, and all of them were worried. What if someone they knew was next? What if Voldemort attacked closer to Hogwarts? None of them knew the answers, and none of them wanted to talk about it.  
  
Homework steadily increased over the next month, and they heard nothing else about the attacks except for a short story in the Daily Prophey about the Muggle town. The attacks in the US and on the continent weren't even mentioned.  
  
Then they had something to take their minds off worrying. Quidditch training was about to begin. Harry was selected as team captain, and he organized a tryout session to find new Beaters and Chasers.  
  
When arrived at the Quidditch pitch, he found a large group of hopefulls waiting for him. He gave the Keepers and Beaters to Ron and took the Chasers and Seekers for himself. He noticed the Creevey brothers were among the Chaser group, and Ginny was hovering between them. He started trying them out, and found that Colin, Dennis and Ginny made an excellent team, but Ginny was also a great Seeker. He decided that maybe they should form a reserve team, and Ginny would be a backup Seeker.  
  
After tryouts he met up with Ron to discuss the prospects. They agreed that the Creeveys and Ginny should be the Chasers. Dean and Seamus were the new Beaters. They also agreed that Ginny would be a reserve Seeker, the reserve Beaters would be Gerald Smith and Chris Layton, Tom Shannon would be backup Keeper, and the reserve Chasers would be James Hedges, Michael Smith, and Jon Hill. They all showed promise as a future starting team for the future, when most of the current team would graduate.  
  
The next week, they starting training in earnest, and Harry let Ron captain the reserve team. Harry pushed the Quidditch players hard, and after a three hour practice, he finally called them down.  
  
"That was a good practice, team. I think we have a good chance at winning the Cup again this year. McGonagal's gotten used to having it in her office, and we would want to lose it for her, would we? Practice next week, same time. I'll see you then."  
  
Harry walked over to where Ron, who had just dismissed the reserves, and asked him how it went.  
  
"Except for the trouble with Ginny-I mean, you had her most of the time, so I couldn't try to train her-it was great. The Chasers work well, together, and the Beaters are almost as good as the starters. I think we've really got a good chance at the Cup."  
  
They walked back up to the castle, still talking about the teams. They decided it would be best if Harry trained Ginny, since Ron didn't know much about what a Seeker actually did during the game.  
  
The next day Harry pulled Ginny aside after classes and told her he would be teaching her how to be a Seeker. "So when can we meet? I got that book on Seeker tactics, so I at least have something to teach from more than just experience. Would Sunday afternoons be alright?"  
  
"Yeah, that'd be fine. So can you teach me to do the Wronski Feint?"  
  
Harry gave a low whistle. "Well, maybe. You'll probably need to borrow my broom for that, though. I don't know if that Cleansweep Five can manage that move."  
  
"You'd let me ride your Firebolt? Cool. Well, I have to go. Flitwick gave us tons of homework-must be because of OWLs."  
  
"Okay then, see you later."  
  
Ginny headed back to the common room, and Harry went down to the Great Hall for dinner. After a hearty meal, he headed back to Gryffindor Tower, where he sat down in his favorite armchair and rested. He got out his homework and did a little, but he wasn't really concentrating. He wished he still had the D.A. to take his mind off things, but Dumbledore had decided it was for the best if they didn't continue with it. He decided to get together something to teach Ginny on Sunday, so he started planning Seeker lessons. After a half hour he called it quits, packed up, bid everyone goodnight, and went to bed.  
  
AN: Thanks for reading this far, please review! Thanks. 


	6. Seeker Practice

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Six: Seeker Practice  
  
Harry woke suddenly, the pain in his scar almost more than he could handle. He tried to remember his dream, but it kept slipping away from him. A tall, pale man with light blond hair and grey, cold eyes was there-Lucius Malfoy. And someone else he didn't recognise. And someone in a hooded cloak, with thin, pale, spidery hands. The third person had a cold, merciless voice that cause Harry's scar to hurt even more. That person must be Voldemort. The Dark Lord was angry about something, angry with the person Harry didn't recognise. Voldemort had called him Nott. Nott was supposed to have found something, but Harry couldn't remember what it was. Voldemort was angry because it was too late now. They would have to wait, and then Lucius Malfoy would take over the search, Nott was incompetent, the Dark Lord said. And then Voldemort cried "Crucio!" in his high, cold voice, pointing his wand at Nott, and the anger and pain woke Harry up. He decided not to tell anyone until morning-no point in waking them up, no one was dying this time.  
  
In the morning he had almost forgotten about his dream. At lunch, he brushed past Draco Malfoy, who reminded him. He pulled aside Ron, Hermione, and Ginny and quickly told them everything he could remember from last night. Ron's reaction was predictable-he started sputtering, looking fearful. Hermione, of course, wanted him to go right to Dumbledore, but Harry didn't like that idea either-Dumbledore would want him to take Occlumency again, and Harry didn't relish the idea of being in the same room with Snape at all, not after what had happened last year. Ginny kept silent and didn't say anything about it at all.  
  
Sunday afternoon finally arrived, and Harry went down to the Quidditch pitch carrying his Firebolt and a bag full of golf balls. He saw that Ginny was already in the air, riding for the joy of it. He jumped on his broom and rode to meet her.  
  
"Hey, Gin, ready to get started?"  
  
"Yeah, all right. What's in the bag?" she asked.  
  
"You'll see. I think what I've decided is, in normal team practices I'll have you practice as a Chaser only and not work with Ron's team much at all. I also think that if you have to play Seeker, if I'm knocked out or something, you should probably use my Firebolt. It's much better for diving and speeding at the Snitch and things like that. Right now, I want to see how well you do with these." He untied the bag and held up a golf ball. "Wood used these for my first practice. I'm just going to throw them about, you try to catch them before they hit the ground, ok? Ready? Go!" Harry threw the first ball way behind Ginny and she turned, dived and caught it about ten feet from the ground. The next one she caught in less than a second. Soon the entire bag was empty and all the balls were in a pile on the ground. Harry flew to the balls and put them back in the bag, which he placed on a bench. He then pulled the Snitch out of his robes and held it up for Ginny to see.  
  
"This is what you're trying to catch. This thing can fly very fast and can change direction without slowing at all. It's small and hard to see, especially in bad weather. The only thing that helps make it easier is that it's so shiny-if there's sunlight, it reflects it and that makes it easier to find. Wanna try it? Okay then, get ready." Harry released the Snitch and let it fly off a litte. "Hold on... go!" Ginny flew up after it and caught it in less than ten seconds. "Great! Let it go and give it a headstart, then try again." This time was a little harder-it hovered near the base of a goalpost. Ginny dived, causing Harry's stomach to lurch in fear for her safety. She looped the goalpost and flew back to where Harry was standing, Snitch struggling in her outstretched hand.  
  
"Excellent! Try one more, and then I want you to try some things with my broom." This time she caught it three seconds after kicking off, and she flew back to Harry, beaming. He grinned back and said, "Okay, dismount and come over here."  
  
She did as he said and asked, "How was that? Was I good?"  
  
"You were great! If you're as good a Chaser as you are a Seeker, we're not going to have any problem winning the Quidditch Cup this year. Here, take my broom." Ginny blushed at his compliments and swapped brooms with Harry. Ginny's eyes lit up as she mounted and rose off the ground.  
  
"Wow," she breathed. "I like this broom, Harry. This is really cool."  
  
"Yeah, it's good, isn't it? Now, go up a little higher than the goalposts. When you get there, I want you to dive down and pull out at the last second. I want to see how quickly you can pull out. But don't flatten yourself trying to impress me or anything ok?"  
  
"Alright." She zoomed up to the top of the highest goalpost, turned, and dived at breakneck speed toward the ground, a look of determination on her face. Harry's insides twisted in fear. What if she didn't pull up in time? What if she hit the ground? But, just as he thought she was going to plow into the turf, she pulled up and spiralled off, then flew back to where Harry was watching, dumbfounded.  
  
"Wow, Ginny. That was amazing! How'd you learn to do that? You know how you asked if I could teach you the Wronski Feint? Well, that's it! It doesn't get any better than that. Come on, let's go back up to the castle. I think that's enough for one day."  
  
Ginny blushed again and said, "Okay, let's go." They walked silently back to the locker rooms, stored their brooms in the broom closet, put the Snitch away, and collected Harry's golf balls. On the way back up to the castle, Ginny tripped on an exposed root and fell. Harry caught her as she fell, and she looked up at him, shocked.  
  
"You okay?" he asked her, concerned.  
  
She came to her senses and replied, "Yeah, fine, sorry," blushing madly.  
  
Harry pulled her up, straightened her robes, and picked up his bag.  
  
"Thanks," she muttered, as the starting walking back up to the castle.  
  
"No problem. Can't have our lovely Chaser getting injured." Ginny blushed at being called lovely, but inside something tugged at her, made her slightly annoyed. Was that all he thought of her, as a Chaser and as Ron's little sister? Then she wondered why she felt that way. Just before they walked in the doors, she stole a glance at him and caught him staring at her. They both blushed and looked away, and walked silently back to the common room.  
  
Harry went up to his dormitory and opened the door. He was greeted by a sight he didn't really want to see. The room was empty except for Ron and Hermione, where were laying, tangled together, on Ron's bed. They were mostly dressed, but only mostly. Their faces were flushed and hot, and Harry decided this was definitely a scene he could have done without. He was going to just retret quietly from the room, but he bumped into the wall on his way out. Hermione looked up from the bed and saw Harry. Ron and Hermione both blushed deeply.  
  
"Sorry," Harry said. "I'll just go now. Err... you might want to lock the door or something." He tossed the golf balls onto his bed and walked out, closing the door behind him. Before it latched shut, he called though the crack, "Don't worry, I didn't see this at all, okay?"  
  
Then he ran down to the common room to work on his homework.  
  
He met Ginny there, who noticed he was blushing, and asked what was up.  
  
"Well, nothing really. I mean... well, you have to promise not to tell."  
  
"Of course I won't tell anyone."  
  
"Okay then. I saw Ron and Hermione. Um... they were alone in my dorm. Um... on Ron's bed."  
  
"They weren't-!" GInny looked horrified. Harry wondered what she meant and then he realized.  
  
"Oh, no. No, they were still dressed and all, but... well, I guess you could say they were only mostly dressed, you know? It was really embarrasing. I told them I wouldn't tell anyone, so this doesn't go any farther, okay?"  
  
"All right. Let's do some homework, then."  
  
So they sat at a table, side by side, working on homework, for another hour, before calling it quits and heading down to dinner. Hermione and Ron still hadn't put in an appearance, and Harry wondered what they could be doing all this time. They came down, holding hands, midway through dinner. Harry looked pointedly at their clasped hands, and they let go, blushing.  
  
"So," he started, "what have you two been up to all this time?"  
  
Ron blushed and said, "That's really none of your-"  
  
"Ron," Harry interrupted, "I really don't care. Remember, I didn't see anything, okay?"  
  
"Oh, right." Ron said, relieved. "So how did Seeker practice go?"  
  
Harry talked about the great practice and Ginny's skills for the rest of dinner, causing her to blushed deeper and deeper. After pudding they went back up to the common room to finish the last of their homework. Around ten they decided to just go to bed. Harry saw Ron and Hermione kiss in a dark corner before going up to their seperate dormitories, and he caught Ginny's eye, raising his eyebrows. She giggled and blushed, waved goodnight, and went up to her own dorm. Harry finished his Transfiguration homework, packed up, and then went to bed himself.  
  
AN: I think this chapter is a litte longer than my others. I'm working on having longer chapters. I hope you enjoyed it. Loupylou, the R/H in this chapter is for you especially. Answers to reviews will be at the end of the next chapter. See you then! 


	7. The Kiss

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Seven: The Kiss  
  
Harry's life soon became a routine, with time divided between classes, homework, Quidditch, and Seeker practices, although the latter had become less like training sessions and more like meetings between friends. Harry soon realized that between watching her brothers play for years and playing herself for part of the previous year, she had already learned most of what he had to teach. Occasionaly he would impart a tip, some useful advice to someone not as experienced as he in the sport, but usually Sunday afternoons were spent flying for the joy of it, having diving contests, and seeing who could catch the Snitch the fastest.  
  
After one of these enoyable afternoons, Harry and Ginny were storing their brooms when Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle appeared in the doorway.  
  
"Ah, look who it is," Malfoy sneered. "The lovebirds enjoying a day in the locker rooms. Did you come here because all the other snogging spots were taken, Potter? Bad taste really. I'm sure you have friends who know where there are better spots. I'm sure your girlfriend here could show you a few. I believe her previous boyfriend frequented them with her and other girls."  
  
"Bugger off, Malfoy," Ginny spat. "Harry was training me as a reserve Seeker. You're just jealous you can't fly like Harry."  
  
"Oh, Potter," laughed Malfoy, "you're girlfriend's taking up for you. Does she know you fainted once while flying? In your third year, remember? Fell right off your broom!"  
  
"I was attacked by Dementors, and you know it. Anyway, what business is it of yours if Ginny's my girlfriend? Want her for your own? Of course, you would, when your girlfriend Pansy Parkinson has a voice like a banshee and a laugh like a dying cat!"  
  
"Well-you just-you watch out Potter! One day...."  
  
"One day you'll get your daddy to come after me? If Voldemort can't hurt me, your father certainly can't! Get out!"  
  
Malfoy stalked off, flanked by his bodyguards. Harry sat down and rubbed his temples. "Ahh," he said, "he gives me such a headache."  
  
"Why'd you say that?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Say what?" Harry looked up, bewildered.  
  
"You said it's none if his business if I'm your girlfriend. Why'd you say that?"  
  
"Well, err... I guess just to get him to shut up. I dunno. I mean, obviously he thinks you are, and if you were, it wouldn't be any of his business, would it be?"  
  
"Yeah, well... whatever." Ginny seemed strangely dissapointed with this answer.  
  
"You okay?" Harry asked when he saw her downcast face.  
  
"Yeah, it's nothing. Sorry. Let's go back to the castle. I've got lots of homework to do." She turned and started to walk towards the door.  
  
"Hey, Ginny," Harry said, catching her arm.  
  
"What?" she asked, looking pointedly at his hand, which he dropped.  
  
"About what Malfoy said... um... d'you, err, d'you feel that way? About me, I mean? I mean, I know you had a crush on me for a long time, but last year you were going out with that Ravenclaw and all, and I was just wondering if... uh...." He trailed off, not knowing what to say.  
  
"If I still have a crush on you?" she asked, and Harry nodded. "Well, no, not really. I don't really know anymore. I like you as a friend, is all. At least, right now. Harry, I really don't know. I think I got over that crush, but now I'm over it I like you as a friend. So... I guess that doesn't really answer your question, does it?" Ginny had walked closer to him, and now she was looking up into his brilliant green eyes. She was almost whispering now, and for some reason being this close made Harry's stomach flip oddly and made his heart beat faster than he thought possible. He looked into her deep brown eyes, and suddenly he knew how he felt. He knew he liked as more than a friend, and he wanted to reach out to her, to touch her. He leaned towards her, slowly, as if afraid he'd break her if he moved to quickly. He leaned over, leaned into her, and she closed her eyes in anticipation. His lips brushed hers, and suddenly his arms around her, his lips were sealed with hers. The kiss was short and almost chaste, but brought with it a whole new world of sensation. Harry looked at Ginny, saw that her eyes were still closed, her lips slightly open. He kissed her again, a longer more passionate kiss, and opened his lips, seeking entrance with his tongue. It was granted, and their tongues massage each other. Harry's head was swimming. He forgot about Malfoy, forgot about Seeker practices, forgot about what Ron would say, he just lost himself in the kiss. When he finally pulled back he found himself holding Ginny tightly, his hands on her back, with her arms around his neck. He looked into her shining eyes and smiled down at her.  
  
"Well," she said, "I guess that answers that question."  
  
"I don't know, I'm not sure I understood your answer really. I think you'll have to make it a little clearer." He leaning in for another kiss, and lost himself completely.  
  
Five minutes later he pulled back. His hands had wandered of their own accord to warm, soft parts of Ginny's body. He realized if they kept this up they wouldn't be able to stop, and he didn't want to go to far any time soon. He looked into Ginny's eyes, kissed her briefly, and let go.  
  
"Come on," he said, "we really should go back. Ron and Hermione will be wondering what we're doing if we're not back soon."  
  
"Okay," Ginny said, straightening her robes.  
  
"Ginny, I have a question for you. Um... er-" Just spit it out! he told himself. "Wouldyoubemygirlfriend?"  
  
"What? Sorry, I didn't understand you."  
  
"Um... would you be my girlfriend?" He asked, blushing.  
  
"Oh! Of course, Harry! Yes!" She was blushing too, and they grinned at each other. They walked back up to the castle, only letting go of each other's hands when they entered. They went to the common room to do a bit of homework, then met Ron and Hermione at dinner. After dinner they went back to finish their work and then went to bed. Harry saw Ron and Hermione kiss goodnight, and he wondered if he should do the same. After packing up his homework, he met Ginny at the stairs to the dorms.  
  
"Goodnight, Gin," he whispered, and then he kissed her briefly on the lips.  
  
"'Night," she replied, and then they seperated to go to their dorms. When Harry entered his dorm room Ron was already in bed with the curtains closed. Harry changed, laid down and pulled his curtains shut, and fell asleep dreaming about Ginny.  
  
AN: I know, I know, mushy. And I'm a guy. I realize I'm not the best romance writer, but for some reason I enjoy reading this stuff. Hope it's alright. 


	8. The Room of Requirement

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Eight: The Room of Requirement  
  
School continued as normal. Seeker practices were still pleasure-flying sessions, but they were followed by snog sessions that became more and more passionate. Harry took to helping Ginny with her homework when he finished his, as the OWL-year load of homework grew on her. Quidditch practices became more and more frequent and harder and harder as they approached the first game of the season, Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw. The final practice before the game was a mock game between reserves and starters without Seekers. The starters won narrowly after an hour-long game. The score was 60-50. The Chasers had done an excellent job, but the Keepers simply seemed to know where they were going to try to score. Even Ginny's excellent reverse pass didn't fool them.  
  
Finally it was another Hogsmeade weekend. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all went together, accompanied by Neville and Luna who seemed to be a couple. They split up upon reaching the town. Ron and Hermione went to send letters to family, Neville and Luna went to Madam Puddifoots-Harry wished him good luck-and Harry and Ginny decided to go to Zonkos and then to the Three Broomsticks for a Butterbeer. They finally emerged from the joke shop with their pockets stuffed full of tricks and toys, and stepped into the tavern. They saw that Ron and Hermione already had a booth. The couple waved Harry and Ginny over, and Ron went to get more Butterbeers.  
  
After taking a long swig of his drink, Harry asked about the owls. Ron had sent letters to the Burrow and to Charlie and Bill, and Hermione had sent one to her family, just to keep up on the news. Ron had asked in his letter to the Burrow about Christmas-would they be staying at school or coming home? The letters to Charlie and Bill were simply to see how they were. Harry and Ginny showed the others their purchases from Zonkos, getting dissaproving looks from Hermione. Then they all paid and went back to the castle.  
  
After dinner, they all retired to the common room. They joked back and forth, played exploding snap and a game of chess, and did a little bit of homework. Finally it was bed time, and Ron and Hermione kissed goodnight and seperated to their dorms.  
  
After Harry and Ginny kissed, she whispered, "Meet me back down here at midnight. I have something special for you." Harry nodded, said goodnight, and went to his dorm.  
  
He pulled out his invisibility cloak and, just in case, the Marauder's Map, and tucked them under his pillow. He changed, got into bed, and pulled the curtains shut. He checked his watch every five minutes or so, waiting until everyone else was asleep. At 11:55, he put his robes back on, eased his curtains open, stuffed the cloak and map under his shirt, and crept downstairs to the common room. He sat in a chair by the fire to wait for Ginny.  
  
Harry heard a noise behind him, and before he could turn to see what it was, something warm, soft, and heavy fell on him, knocking the wind out of him. He gasped and pushed at it, and heard it squeal.  
  
"Gin?" he asked. "Is that you?"  
  
"Oh, hi Harry. I didn't see you there. You okay?" she whispered back.  
  
"Yeah, fine, you just surprised me is all. So why am I down here?"  
  
"You'll see. Follow me." She led him to the portrait hole.  
  
"Wait a second, Ginny. What are we doing?"  
  
"Well, I figured we could visit that room where we had D.A. meetings last year. Hermione's starting to get ideas about why Seeker practices are so long. So I thought that room might make a nice place to spend the night, or at least part of it."  
  
"Great idea! Okay, when we get out, get under this cloak with me. I have a map the twins gave me, I'll show you in a minute."  
  
The crept out and Harry covered himself and Ginny with the invisibility cloak. He pulled out the old parchment and activated it, then whispered, "Lumos." Ginny gasped when she saw what was on the map. "Okay," Harry said, "the coast is clear. Lets go."  
  
They hurried off to the Room of Requirement. Harry paced in front of it, then opened the door for Ginny. "Well, what do you think?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, Harry, it's perfect!"  
  
Harry closed the door and magically locked it and placed a Silencing Charm on the room. Inside was simply a fireplace and a long, wide sofa piled with cushions and blankets. Ginny was already reclining on it. She pat the seat next her and Harry sat down. "So, what exactly did you have in mind?" he asked her.  
  
"Well," she grinned wickedly, "I thought we could start off with a little bit of...." She leaned over and kissed him, softly at first, but as he respond, deeper and rougher. He started to push her back, but his glasses caught in her hair. She laughed and took the off and placed them on an end table which suddenly appeared. Then he pushed her all the way down and put his forehead on hers, looking into his eyes. Her eyes twinkled and he took that as a good sign. He leaned into her and brought his lips to meet hers, asking admittance with his tongue, and soon gaining it. They kissed deeply for a long time, becoming more and more passionate. He moved is lips from her mouth to her cheek, her chin, then her neck. His hands were roaming wildly, on her back, then her stomach, her legs, her chest. They lingered there, then moved to her face. He kissed her on the lips again and moved his hands to her hips. They were both at the height of passion by then. Ginny's hands were on Harry's chest, and his were on her hips, moving up and down.  
  
Then a thought occured to him-an image of Mrs. Weasley formed in his mind. He removed his hands and pulled hers off. He stopped kissing and looked down at her. There was wild look on her flushed face, but in her eyes were dissapointment and puzzlement. "Ginny," he said breathlessly, "we have to stop."  
  
"What-why?" she asked, her chest heaving.  
  
"If we continue and longer, we'll have gone too far. I... I don't want to do that until we're ready. I don't think we are, not yet."  
  
She nodded and sat up. "Okay. You're right. I agree. Do you think we should go back to our dorms then?"  
  
"Yeah, that'd probably be best right now. Let me just gather up my stuff, okay?" He snatched his glasses from the end table, cleaned them and put them on. He stood up and held out a hand, which she took and used to hoist herself up. He straightened his robes, ran a hand through his hair, and said, "Ready?"  
  
Ginny nodded, and Harry removed the Silencing Charm. He unlocked the door, covered them with the cloak, and glanced at the map.  
  
"Okay, we're going to have to take this corridor here because Mrs. Norris is in this one. Let's go." They exited and the door vanished. They arrived back at the portrait of the Fat Lady, gave the password, and went in the common room. They stopped in their tracks as they saw Ron and Hermione on the couch in front of the fire, in a position not unlike the one they themselves had been in ten minutes earlier.  
  
"Hem hem," Ginny said in an excellent imitation of Professor Umbridge. Hermione squealed and covered her face and Ron stood up, blushing scarlet.  
  
"What are you two doing?" he asked.  
  
"What are you two doing?" Harry returned.  
  
"Have you-were you-what were you doing out with my sister at this time of night?!" Ron stuttered.  
  
"Ask us no questions, we'll tell you no lies," Ginny said, sound a good bit like the twins. "We won't ask about you, you don't ask about us. Deal?"  
  
"I-well-Harry, we're going to have a talk about this, okay?" Ron asked, looking at him.  
  
"Whatever. Good night, Ginny," Harry said. He gave her a short kiss on the lips and went up to his dorm. He heard Hermione giggle.  
  
"Ughh, my best friend and my sister. This is just wrong," Ron said as he followed Harry. "Harry, I'll deal with you tomorrow."  
  
"Deal with me?" Harry asked. "Look, you'll deal with me just as much as I'll deal with you. Hermione's like a sister to me, but I'm not attacking you about her, am I? Don't worry about us, we know when to stop. We were just out visiting the Room of Requirement, if you must know, but nothing happened. Now go to sleep. Good night."  
  
Harry closed the curtains around his bed and laid there. He didn't fall asleep until it started getting light out. His thoughts stayed with Ginny all night.  
  
AN: So? What'd'you think? Not bad romance for a guy, is it? Huh? Review, please. 


	9. The Dream

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Nine: The Dream  
  
Harry finally dozed off and dreamt. His dream was focused on a tall, hooded character with a cold voice that was oddly familiar. The hooded man was talking to a woman, also hooded, who had a dark, lazy voice that also seemed familiar. They were discussing the capture of someone, it seemed to be a girl. Planning it. The woman drew back her hood and something inside Harry recognised her as Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius Black's murderer. Harry tried to concentrate on what they were saying. They were talking to a third person, to Harry, it seemed, only Harry's voice, when he answered, was cold and high-pitched. The voice said, "Bring the girl to me. You will find a way. Potter will come after her."  
  
"Yes Master, we will find a way," the other man answered. Harry realised the voice belonged to Lucius Malfoy. The two servants bowed and left, and Harry remained. He tapped his long pale fingers on a windowsill and thought. He would have to find a way to get the girl-what girl? Harry thought. What girl do I mean? An image came unbidden to his mind, and image of Ginny Weasley. Why do I have to get her? he thought. She's already mine. Then Harry realised exactly what was happening. He was, again, inside the mind of Voldemort. The Dark Lord was planning on capturing Ginny. He heard a sound behind him and turned to see Nott bowing before him.  
  
"Nott," he said in his high voice. "You have failed me again. Again, you must pay. Lucius will now conduct the search. You, on the other hand...." He pulled out his want and muttered, "Crucio!"  
  
And suddenly, he was awake. Harry sat up in bed, clutching his scar. He realised it was already morning. He felt like he hadn't slept at all. He quickly dressed and woke Ron. "Ron we have to go. I had another dream. I was HIM again. He was torturing Nott! Ron, come on, get up, we have to go see Dumbledore."  
  
"What? What's going on? Who's torturing who? Who were you?" Ron muttered groggily.  
  
"Oh, nevermind, Ron! I'll see you later."  
  
Harry ran from the dorm down to the common room where Ginny and Hermione were already awake, getting ready to go to breakfast. "Oh good, you're here. Listen," he said as Hermione started to ask about last night, "there's no time right now. I just had a dream. I need to go see Dumbledore. Stay here and tell Ron, will you? Ginny, you should probably come with me. Come on!" They stared at him uncomprehendingly. "Move!" He grabbed Ginny's hand, ignoring her protests.  
  
"But, Harry, what was your dream?" Hermione called after him. "Harry, wait! What was-" and then the portrait hole closed. Harry rushed to the entrance to Dumbledore's office, followed closely by Ginny, just as Dumbledore himself stepped out.  
  
"Good morning!" the headmaster called. "What's the rush? I don't suppose you're just eager to get to breakfast first, are you?"  
  
"No, Professor," Harry explained. "I had a dream last night-no, it was this morning, it was past midnight when I fell asleep. There was-"  
  
"Ah, Harry, why don't we step into my office?" Dumbledore asked, interrupting.  
  
"Err, right, okay." Dumbledore gave the password and led Harry and Ginny to his office.  
  
"Now, tell me everything," he said.  
  
Harry explained his dream and the conclusions he had drawn and why he had assumed those things, leaving out the details about why he fell asleep so late and what he was doing that night. "So you see, Professor, I think they're after Ginny. I think they want to kidnap her or something."  
  
Dumbledore's face and grown graver and graver while Harry was talking, and at the end of the speech he stood up abrubtly. "Well, I suggest you two go down to breakfast. Don't worry about your dream anymore right now."  
  
Harry took this to be a dismissal and he and Ginny thanked Dumbledore and left. Ginny was staring at Harry. "Why do they want to take me?" she asked. "I mean, why would they think you'd come after me?"  
  
"Because," Harry answered slowly, "I would."  
  
"Oh. Um.... Even if you knew they had taken me to get you to come after me?"  
  
Harry pulled her aside into a corner. "Yes, I think I would. Listen, Ginny, I haven't said this yet, but... well, I would come after you. I would, because... well, I love you, Gin. I don't know why I didn't before. Maybe it was because every time I tried to talk to you you'd trip or stick your arm in the butter or run away blushing. But now that you don't do that anymore, I honestly love you. You don't mind at all, do you?" he asked, because she was, again, blushing and looking at the floor.  
  
At this, she looked up at him. "Of course I don't. I love you too." She stood up on tiptoes, put her hand behind his neck and pulled his head down into a deep, short kiss. "Come on," she said, stepping back, "let's go get breakfast."  
  
AN: Another shortie, but that's how all my chapters are, really. Please review! Thanks. 


	10. Victory

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Ten: Victory  
  
The next week seemed to pass in a blur. Suddenly it was Saturday morning, and Harry was urging Gryffindor Quidditch team members to eat. About half an hour before the match, Harry stood up and said, "All right team, to the pitch, come on." He hurried down to the pitch and gave them a short talking to. Generally he encouraged new players and reminded the old ones of past victories.  
  
Finally it was time, and the starting team walked onto the pitch. "I give you, Creevey, Creevey, Weasley, Thomas, Finnigan, Weasley, and Potter!" Harry shook hands with the Cho Chang, the new Ravenclaw captain, and waited for the whistle. When he heard it he flew into the air, hovering about fifty feet above the rest of the players. He kept an eye out for the Snitch but at the same time listened to the rest of the game. "Weasley-Ginny Weasley, new Chaser this year-Colin Creevey-Dennis Creevey-stolen by Pratchett-she shoots-and it's a fantastic save by Ron Weasley!"  
  
Harry noticed Cho tailing him, and he sped up and did a lap around the stadium, watching for any glimmer of gold. Surprisingly, Cho kept right up with him. He glanced back at her and saw the name on her broom's handle-Firebolt. She winked at him and he thought to himself, Well, it takes more than a broom to win. He looked around the stadium and pretended to see the Snitch. He dived down towards the base of a goalpost, hand outstretched-he was sure Cho was following-and at the last moment he imitated Ginny and pulled up, looping the goalpost and sprialling back into the air. He heard the whistle and he looked down to see Cho Change limping off the field. He heard the commentator say, "And that's a perfect example of the Wronski Feint, just executed by Harry Potter for Gryffindor. And it looks like Cho Chang's replacement, Mr. Terry Boot, is coming in for her. It makes one wonder what else Potter has up his sleeve. And it's-"  
  
Harry stopped listening at this point. He hoped Cho was all right, but now that she was out of the game, he would have an easier time of it. He circled again, looking for the Snitch, and he saw Boot following his every move, riding Cho's Firebolt. He searched the pitch again, and this time he saw it, a glimmer of gold hovering just above Ron's head. He started to speed off in that direction, but when he realised Boot was right on his tail, he turned and dove towards the Ravenclaw goalposts again. This time, Boot wasn't stupid enough to follow-he had just seen Cho get smashed-so Harry circled back up and glanced around. The Snitch was gone, and Boot was still attached to Harry like a parasite.  
  
Five minutes later Gryffindor was leading 70-30 and Harry found the Snitch. It was in a corner of the pitch, just against the wall. He dove, but Boot didn't follow. Harry almost laughed-Boot thought Harry was just performing the Wronski Feint again. Harry slowed as he reached the Snitch until he was hovering beside it. He casually extended his hand and snatched it from the air, and as the game ended he made a victory lap and landed in front of the locker rooms.  
  
That night there was a party in the Gryffindor common room. Parties just weren't the same without Fred and George, but Harry and Ron did their best. Dobby gave them loads of free food and Butterbeer, and the party lasted until midnight when McGonagal herself came to send everyone to bed.  
  
In their dorm the teens continued to talk about the match.  
  
"I couldn't believe it when you pulled out of that dive, Harry, that was amazing and Cho Chang was smashed!" Harry had wondered whether Cho and been injured, but Terry Boot told him after the game that it was nothing serious and that Madam Pomfrey had cleaned her right up.  
  
"And then when you tried to do the feint again," Ron was saying, "but Boot didn't take the bait. I saw the Snitch, it was right on top of my head, but it's against the rules to touch it if you're not a Seeker. That was frustrating but I knew you could risk Boot getting it first. And then the third time when you dived and he thought you were feinting again! Amazing! You just stopped next to it and it almost seemed to land in your hand! That was really cool, Harry."  
  
Harry grinned-Ron had already gone through the entire game with him three or four times-and bid them all goodnight. He fell asleep dreaming about Golden Snitches and Firebolts.  
  
AN: I hope you liked this. I figured it wouldn't be Harry Potter if it didn't include at least one game in full detail. As usual, it's short, but hey, I'm getting out three chapters a day, so it's all right to have them short, isn't it? Please review and tell me what you think. Thanks.  
  
Replies to reviews:  
  
James Portland: Thanks for the review :-D I'm writing! I'm not very good at estimating chapters, but I guess around 25, give or take a few.  
  
Charmergirl07: I'll take that as a compliment. Here's your update. 


	11. A Romantic Dinner

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Eleven: A Romantic Dinner  
  
After the first Quidditch match Harry lightened up on practices, relieving both the starter and reserve teams. He continued Seeker practices, however, as he rarely had time alone with Ginny otherwise. Halloween was fast approaching, and Harry had something special planned.  
  
Homework seemed to double as the end of October approached. Harry, Ron and Hermione were only barely keeping up, but Ginny was starting to show some signs of strain. She was looking pale and tired, and was barely eating. She had even called off Seeker practices so she could keep up with OWL year work. Harry took to doing his homework as quickly as possible and then helping Ginny plow through all hers.  
  
Finally it was Halloween night. The usual decorations were in place in the Great Hall-bats, gigantic Jack-O-Lanterns, ghost shows, and an incredible feast. Harry let Ron and Hermione go down before Ginny and himself, delaying as much as possible. He finally came down and met Ginny. The went out the portrait hole and walked off, holding hands. Ginny was so wrapped up in thoughts about her homework that she didn't even notice where Harry was leading her until he stopped walking.  
  
She looked up and saw an unfamiliar door. "Where are we?" she asked Harry.  
  
"You'll see," he replied. "Close your eyes." She obeyed and Harry opened the door with a spell. He grabbed her hand and pulled her in, closing the door and casting several locking charms on it. The room glowed briefly when he finished, and then he said, "Okay, you can open your eyes now."  
  
Ginny opened her eyes and gasped in amazement. The room seemed to be an empty, small, little used classroom. A table was set for two, and there was also a large couch in one corner. On the table were two dome-covered dishes and a thin white box. "Oh Harry, this is wonderful!" Ginny exclaimed. She ran over to the table and touched the box. "Is this what I think it is?" she asked.  
  
"Why don't you open it and find out?" Harry replied.  
  
Ginny lifted the lid and gave a little squeal of happiness. "They're beautiful!" She lifted a dozen roses from the box-three white, three pink, three orange, and three velvety red. She gathered them up and smelled them, closing her eyes. "No one's ever given me flowers before," she said quietly.  
  
Harry blushed and pulled a vase out from under the table. Ginny placed the roses in it and looked around the room again. "Did you set all this up?" she asked.  
  
:Well, I had some help from Dobby," Harry explained. "Honestly, he'll do anything. He cooked us our own private meal, look," Harry said, lifting one of the domes.  
  
After an excellent meal, the young couple retired to the sofa. Harry half-reclined and Ginny laid against him. Stroking her hair, Harry whispered sweet nothings to her. Suddenly she sat up and looked mischeviously at him.  
  
"Well, Mr. Potter, why are you still laying there?" she asked abruptly, before draping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a kiss.  
  
Harry spluttered when she sat up, but was quickly silenced. He leaned into the kiss, pushing her down onto the sofa, removing his glasses and dropping them onto the floor. He felt her respond to the kiss, opening her lips slightly. Harry took advantage of this and felt his way in with his tongue, and she responded likewise. He started to run his hands over her sides, causing her to sigh onto his lips.  
  
"Wait," he said huskily, sitting up. He cast Silencing Charms on the room and on themselves, before leaning back down to where Ginny was waiting for him. "Now, where were we? Oh yeah...."  
  
Ginny pulled him down and kissed him deeply, running her hands over his chest. Harry responded in the same way, diving into her mouth and feeling her curves with his hands. His hands made their way to her chest, kneeding and evoking gutteral moans from the back of Ginny's throat. Harry continued to feel her body, noting how touching certain spots on her neck, chest, and thighs caused her to sigh and moan. He moved his kisses from her lips to her neck and and he thought he felt her breath catch and her pulse rush even faster as he kissed sensitive spots, down to the neckline of her robes. His hands were on her hips, her's tangled in his hair. He kissed a sensitive spot just below her neckline, causing her back to arch lightly and a higher pitched groand to come from her mouth.  
  
Harry felt himself becoming aroused from this action, and he realized he had to stop. He was, after all, only sixteen, and she was only fifteen. He didn't want to go that far yet. "Ginny," he breathed, releasing her, "Gin, we have to stop. Again. We can't do that yet."  
  
Ginny looked hurt, and disturbing thoughts were rushing through her mind. Would he ever be ready? Did he not love her?  
  
"Gin, I don't want to stop, but if I don't stop now, I won't ever be able to stop. I'm sorry."  
  
Ginny smiled up, relieved, and said, "It's okay, I know what you mean. Why don't we clean up in here and go back to the common room? I don't think anyone else will be back from the feast just yet." She held up her hand, and Harry pulled her to her feet.  
  
After tidying up and hiding the vase of flowers in Ginny's robes, they made their way back tothe common room. There was a mutual, unspoken agreement between them that no more physical romance would occur that night, but that didn't stop Harry from complimenting Ginny and causing her to blush and giggle wildly every chance he got. She forgot all about her homework and built an Exploding Snap card castle with Harry. The castle exploded just as the first students arrived back from the feast.  
  
"Where have you two been?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"You know where we were, Hermione," Harry replied, as Hermione had helped arrange their romantic night.  
  
"Oh, I know, I just thought I'd tease you about it for a while."  
  
"What's this?" Ron broke in. "Where've they been, 'Mione? How come no one told me?"  
  
Harry grinned, kissed Ginny good night, and told Ron he'd explain later, maybe after they graduated sometime.  
  
Harry went to bed and drifted off to warm thoughts of Ginny and the sofa in the empty classroom.  
  
AN: Well, what do you think? I figured it was time for some more romance-got to live up to that PG-13 rating, and all. Please, please review. I'm begging you. I need reviews to thrive. Come on, dbzdragonlanceman has well over a thousand reviews on one of his fics, and I've only got seven! You can do better, I'm sure. Thanks for reading.  
  
Here's the reply to my latest review:  
  
Sarah: Thanks for all the compliments. You can't see it but I'm blushing :-D. I'll be sending you an email about your offer. 


	12. A Normal Day

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Twelve: A Normal Day  
  
After that wonderful Halloween night, life went on as usual. The few moments that weren't taken up by classes, meals, Quidditch, and sleep were filled by homework. Ginny started going off meals to work through her assignments, so Harry, Ron and Hermione all started helping her when they finished their own work. Quidditch continued, and after the first match of the season, Slytherin narrowly defeated Hufflepuff, and was in turn slaughtered by Ravenclaw. Harry slowed down practices to once every two weeks, as their next game was not to take place until after Christmas holidays.  
  
As the holidays approached and Ron recieved a reply from his mother stating that it didn't matter whether they came home or not, Harry finally made the decision and extened an invitation to the Weasleys and Hermione to spend the holidays at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, which Harry had inherited from Sirius. Ron immediately sent a letter off to his mum with this news, as did Hermione.  
  
The last Gryffindor Quidditch practice before the holidays was held on the first Saturday in December. Harry arranged it so that, again, the starters and reserves would play against each other. However, he borrowed a Ravenclaw Chaser for the starter team so that Ginny could have some more practice as a Seeker. The game lasted over an hour. The starting team was leading 170 to 90 when Harry finally saw the Snitch. Ginny saw it at the same moment, and she was closer to it than Harry. He put on a burst of speed and outstreaked Ginny, reaching the Snitch only a moment before she did. His hand closed over the ball just as hers clutched at empty air. He grinned at her, winked, and headed back to the ground, calling the teams in.  
  
After dismissing the players he stored away the balls and brooms and headed back to the castle. At dinner that night, Harry sat with Ron and Hermione and waited for Ginny. The others didn't seem to notice she wasn't there. After rushing his food down, he excused himself and jogged back to the common room. He glanced around, looking for his girlfriend, and his eye caught a glint of reddish gold reflecting the light of the fire-Ginny's hair. He ran over to where she sat in her favorite armchair and realized she was aleep, a Potions essay in her lap  
  
"Gin," he said softly, shaking her shoulder, "Ginny, wake up. Come on Gin, you need to go to dinner." Her eyes fluttered open and the looked around dazedly.  
  
"Oh, hi Harry. Sorry. I just fell asleep doing homework. I'll just get back to it, then." She started to reach for her quill and Harry caught her arm. He noticed how pale she was and how thin she had become.  
  
"No, come on, Gin, you need to eat something. And I think you've done enough homework for one night. You need to sleep." He tried to pull her up, but she resisted.  
  
"No, Harry, I have to finish this essay, it's due tomorrow, please just let me do my work!"  
  
"Just leave it, Gin. Is it that one on the uses of lacewings?" She nodded. "Just leave it, I got an E on it, I'll finish it for you, okay? Don't worry about it. Go eat something and go to bed, you look really tired. Go on!"  
  
She stood up and grinned at him, saying, "Thanks Harry, you're the best." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and went down to the Great Hall for dinner. Harry shook his head and picked up Ginny's essay.  
  
Fifteen minutes later he put down the quill and leaned back in the armchair. Just then Ron and Hermione came in, followed by Ginny.  
  
"Doing extra Potions, Harry?" Ron asked with a raised eyebrow, glancing at the parchment. "Just can't get enough of the subject, can you?" he grinned.  
  
"Nah, this is just Gin's homework. I thought she could use something to eat," he said as Ginny sat down in his lap.  
  
"Hey, you two," Ron said, "not in front of me, okay?"  
  
"Then go somewhere else, you great stupid prat," Ginny said, giggling as Harry nuzzled her cheek. "Come on, Harry, let's go to bed-not like that!" Ginny said, blushing as Ron stood up angrily and Hermione giggled. "You know what I meant. Good night, Harry."  
  
Harry kissed her deeply, ignoring Ron's spluttering and Hermione's giggling. "'Night, love."  
  
They seperated and went up to their dorms. Five minutes later Harry heard Ron come in and change into his pyjamas.  
  
"Listen, Harry, I don't care if you like my sister and want to snog her or whatever, just don't do it near me, all right? That conjures some mental images I don't want to think about."  
  
"What you don't know won't hurt you?" Harry asked him.  
  
"Basically, yeah. G'night."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, closed his curtains, and fell asleep almost instantly.  
  
AN: Sorry, I know it's short. I haven't had much time for writing lately, with one thing and other. And I know it's devoid of any serious action, but I figure these guys deserve a normal day once in a while, don't they? Please review! I really need your comments. They really help, honestly they do. Thanks for reading.  
  
PS. Go to my profile and click on "Favorite Authors." Click on the links, all of them. These guys (and girls) are the best, really. There are authors of everything from romantic one-shots to novel-length adventures. They are my inspiration for my stories. Please read and review what they've written!  
  
PPS Sorry I've slowed down my updating schedule. I just don't have the time to publish three chapters a day. 


	13. Grimmauld Place

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Thirteen: Grimmauld Place  
  
The last few days until the holidays rolled past, and for once Harry didn't have to sign McGonagal's list of students who would remain at the castle. The last day of term finally arrived, and after the classes in which no one really paid attention, the group retired to the common room to relax. After dinner, the four went back to the common room to finish the last of their homework and play chess and exploding snap. After Harry's hair had been singed three times, he decided to call it a night, followed by Ron who had actually lost to Ginny. The boys kissed their girls goodnight and headed to their dorm to pack. The next morning arrived and after a quick breakfast, the students who were going home boarded the Hogwarts Express and took a ride back to Platform 9 3/4. Upon going through the barrier, Harry was surprised to see Mad-Eye Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, the elder Weasleys, and Remus Lupin waiting for them. Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a big hug before moving on to her own children. Harry raised an eyebrow at Lupin who explained, "You didn't think we'd let you go to Grimmauld Place without an escort, did you?" Harry grinned back as he was enveloped into a fatherly hug. "Wother, Harry!" Tonks was currently sporting spiky, bright green hair and waving to him. "Got your trunk?" she asked. "Okay, you lot, come on, let's go!" They followed Tonks along the streets to an empty alleyway. "All right," she explained, "we're going by Portkey. Hold on to this," she produced a paperback book from her jacket that Harry recognized as Quidditch Through the Ages, "and keep a good grip on your trunks. All ready?" she tapped the book with her wand and they took off. A moment later they landed in what Harry recognized as the kitchen of Sirius's old house. Ron ended up on the floor with Hermione on top of him, and Harry caught Ginny before she fell. All the others were still standing. "Come on, you two," Harry said to Ron and Hermione, "this isn't the time or place for that!" Hermione and Ron blushed and got up unwillingly. Ginny giggled and her father and Tonks grinned, while Moody remained still and silent and Mrs. Weasley frowned. "Why don't you all put your things away? You're in the same rooms as before. I'll make supper." As Mrs. Weasley bustled about, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny carried their trunks up the stairs and to their seperate rooms. After Harry and Ron settled themselves in their room they went to see what the girls were doing. However, as Ron tried to open the door he was blasted back. Ginny's face suddenly appeared in the doorway, giggling. She arched an eyebrow at Harry who asked, "What's that all about?" "Well," she explained, "mum seemed to think you boys were untrustworthy so she but a ward on this room. You can't come in, but we can go into your room." "So it's sort of like at Hogwarts. No one trusts us, do they?" Harry asked. "I guess with good reason, too," he added, grinning. "Yeah," said Hermione, appearing behind Ginny, "why were you two trying to get in here anyway?" "We just wanted to come see what you were up to!" Ron exclaimed, standing up and banging the side of his head with the palm of his hand. "We'll have to visit your room for that," Ginny said, exiting her room. At that moment they heard Mrs. Weasley's voice calling to them, telling them it was time to eat. After an enjoyable meal the teens retired to the boys' room. Ron and Hermione sat on Ron's bed, a little too close together, while Ginny laid on Harry's bed and he sat next to her, holding her hand. They talked about school, about Quidditch, and about Christmas, and Harry noticed they specifically seemed to be avoiding the subject of the house in which they sat, and especially that of its previous owner, Sirius Black. Harry didn't mind this in the least, since it wasn't a topic he was completely comfortable discussing yet either. Finally Mrs. Weasley came up and told them all to go to bed. After she left, Ron and Hermione starting kissing goodnight and Ginny led Harry into the hall outside the room. Harry simply leaned over and caught her mouth with his, feeling her arms around his neck and wrapping his around her waist. He deepened the kiss for a moment, then broke off, placing his forhead against hers, rubbing her nose with his. "Goodnight, love," he whispered, staring into her warm, glowing eyes. "'Night, Harry," she whispered back. They heard the door open and they broke apart. Hermione raised an eyebrow when she saw them standing so close together, then she winked at Harry and went back to her own room, followed by Ginny. Harry went into his room, grinning, and shut the door behind him. Ron was changing for bed and Harry did the same. Then they climbed into their beds, said goodnight, and turn out the lamps. Harry laid awake for a while thinking about Ginny. He wondered what he should get her for Christmas, as he had procrastinated doing that while he was at Hogwarts. He wasn't sure how she would take something romantic, like jewelry, so he thought something practical might do well. Maybe a broomstick, she definitely needed one of those. Not a Firebolt, of course, she'd never accept it, but maybe a new Cleansweep or a Nimbus. These thoughts were in his head as he drifted off and dreamt about broomsticks and a pretty red-haired girl.  
  
AN: Well, what'd'you think? Please tell me all about it! I want to know what you think about my writing, the content, if you spotted any errors, etc. Please review! Here's my reply to a review: jessjica: I think the word you're searching for is "fluffy" ;-D. Of course I'm not going to discontinue it! It's my Pride and Joy, so to speak. At least right now, until I start on the next one. I love it too, so I'm going to do the whole thing, and possibly a sequel as well. Thanks for the review. 


	14. The Drawing Room

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching.  
  
Chapter Fourteen: The Drawing Room  
  
The next day Mrs. Weasley took them all Christmas shopping in Diagon Alley. Harry ended up buying Hermione a bottle of ink that wrote in different colours and Ron a book on Quidditch team tactics. He was agonizing over what to get Ginny when he finally couldn't stand it anymore. He approached Hermione and signalled her to come with him. He led her away from Ron and Ginny who were admiring a Firebolt display model and asked her, "Hermione, I need help. I can't think of what to get Ginny!"  
  
Hermione grinned and said, "Well, do you want to get her something romantic or something practical?" Harry shrugged and she continued, "Okay then, meet me outside Ollivander's in fifteen minutes. I'll show you what to get her." Harry thanked her and went back to shopping.  
  
Fifteen minutes passes and Harry was waiting for Hermione outside the wand shop. He finally saw her coming towards him and she beckoned to him to follow. She led him down the street to a small shop with a sign that read, in elegant curly letters, "Schecter Diamonds."  
  
"Jewelry?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded and led him inside. The interior of the shop was warmly lit, and there were glass cases all around the walls and in the middle of the room that held hundreds of thousands worth of jewlrey. Harry was shocked to find a vividly green emerald larger than his fist on display in it's own cabinet. He and Hermione finally decided on a gold necklace, braclet, and earing set with small rubies mounted inside. Harry paid, thinking that many more purchases like this would empty his vault at Gringotts, and they went back outside, where Harry thanked Hermione for helping him out of a tight spot, and they walked back to the Leaky Cauldron where they met the others. When Harry saw Ginny he quickly tucked the bag containing the jewelry inside a larger one that held Ron's gift. Ginny raised an eyebrow at this but thankfully didn't ask any questions.  
  
After a warm lunch the group headed back to Grimmauld Place where Harry quickly wrapped the gifts he had bought and stored them in his trunk. After a long afternoon of several unsuccessful attempts to build an entire card castle with Exploding Snap cards, they ate a delicious meal prepared by Mrs. Weasley and excused themselves after helping clean up. Ron and Hermione went straight to the boys' room, but Ginny held Harry back.  
  
"Come with me," she said, grabbing his hand. She led him to the drawing room where Mrs. Weasley had confronted the Boggart last year and sat down in a large armchair. She patted the seat next to her and Harry squeezed in, placing Ginny halfway on his lap.  
  
"Hey, Gin," he whispered to her before wrapping his arms around her.  
  
"Hey, you," she whispered back. "We haven't had much time alone lately, so I thought we'd leave Ron and Hermione to do whatever they want and go off by ourselves for a while."  
  
"I like the sound of that," Harry grinned at her, before placing a hand under her chin and lifting her lips to his. Harry's mind went blissfully blank and they broke apart a minute later, breathing heavily and staring into each other's eyes.  
  
"Harry," Ginny said in a voice deeper than normal, "I have a serious question for you. Do you love me?"  
  
Taken aback, Harry blinked and then started, "Of course I d-"  
  
"No, Harry," Ginny interrupted, "please think about it first. I don't want an automatic answer. Think about it first."  
  
Harry sighed and sat silent for a second. Then he remembered something he had heard on the Muggle radio once.  
  
"Ginny, I love you with my heart and soul," Harry said, interpreting what he remembered to his own ends, "and love like ours will never age. You're my pride and joy, and I just hope I'm your little lover boy."  
  
Ginny stared at him for a moment, then asked, "What was that?"  
  
"Oh," Harry responded grinning, "I think I heard it on the Muggle radio once. But's it's true. That's how I feel about you. I think there was also something in that song about 'My baby causes the sun to shine,' and that's how it is with you. You light up a room when you step into it. I love you and-and, well, I want to keep loving you forever. I want to grow old with you."  
  
Ginny thought for a moment and said, "I love you too, Harry. I want to have your children and-and I want to grow old with you, too, and I never want to stop loving you." Harry smiled when he heard this and reached down for another kiss.  
  
They broke apart a few minutes later and wordlessly stood up, adjusting their clothes. "I love you, Gin," Harry said to her, tracing her cheek with a finger. "Good night."  
  
"See you in the morning, Harry." They kissed once more, breifly, and went to their seperate rooms.  
  
Harry opened the door to his and Ron's room and was confronted by an embarrasing scene that reminded him vividly of the scene he "didn't see" earlier that school year in his dorm. Ron was leaning down over Hermione, running his hands over her, kissing her furiously. Harry wondered if that's how he looked when he was kissing Ginny, and then he realized he should leave before he was caught. He silently turned and left the room, running back to Ginny's room. He didn't touch the door, but he called Ginny out and told her what he had seen, grinning. She giggled and kissed him again, following him back to his room.  
  
"Hello," she said, stepping into the doorway. Ron and Hermione broke apart, blushing. "Well well," she went on, "what do we have here? It's a good think it was only Harry who found you and not mum, and a good thing he came and told me and not her!"  
  
Hermione blushed and pulled her shirt down. "You didn't have to interupt us, Ginny!" she said furiously.  
  
"Well, no, I didn't," she admitted, "but I don't want to be an aunt yet, you know. Why don't you go to bed? I'll be along in a minute."  
  
Hermione blushed even redder and muttered darkly something about what Ginny and Harry were doing in the Room of Requirement, and then she left the room. Ginny turned to Ron, who was attempting to hide from her behind his bed. "Well, Mr. Weasley, what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked, trying not to grin at his sorry countenance.  
  
Harry held in a laugh as he muttered, "Nothing to say. You saw-well maybe you didn't-none of your business anyway!" He finished angrily, glaring at them.  
  
Ginny could hold it in anymore and she burst out laughing, saying, "Oh, Ron, do you think we care? I mean, it's about time you two got together, and this summer we noticed you guys. I mean, how long was it going to take?"  
  
Ron grinned at her and said, "You little imp, where have you and Harry been? Go to bed!"  
  
Ginny pecked Harry on the cheek and winked at him before going out, closing the door after her.  
  
"Well," Harry said, turning to Ron, "you were caught. But honestly, I don't feel like talking about it. Goodnight!" Harry changed and went to sleep, remembering the drawing room and the feel of Ginny.  
  
AN: Yeah, another shortie, another fluffy. These are more fun than I thought to write! 50 house points to the first person to tell me what the song is Harry was thinking of, and a hundred who finds out where I got the name Schector Diamonds-that one's much harder to find out. See you all in the next chapter. Please review! 


	15. Christmas

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Fifteen: Christmas  
  
The next few days past uneventfully until, finally, it was Christams Eve. Over the past few days the Weasleys and Harry and Hermione had done their best to decorate Grimmauld Place, and on Christmas Eve they finally finished the tree. Harry placed a metallic star on the top and stood back to admire it. Hermione and Ginny showed an odd sense of humour by clapping and cheering. Then Harry ran to his room and pulled out the wrapped presents he had bought in Diagon Alley. When he returned to the tree Ginny was already arranging hers around the tree, and Harry simply added his. Hermione left and came back twice carrying heavy packages, and Ron took a few minutes to return, carrying a few items and placing them around the tree with the other gifts.  
  
"What took you so long, Ron?" Harry asked him.  
  
"Oh, well, you know," Ron shrugged, "I had them hidden, and, well, I forgot where I'd put some of them. But they're all here," he added, grinning. "What's in those, Hermione?" he asked, picking up Harry's gift from Hermione. It was large, rectangular, and solid. "Books?"  
  
"You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" Hermione returned.  
  
That night they stayed up late drinking cocoa and tea and playing wizard's chess. One by one they left and went to bed, until only Harry and Ginny were left, finishing there game. Ginny quickly took the upper hand and easily defeated Harry. After announcing the checkmate, she came over and sat on his lap.  
  
"I don't know if I'm going to play with you anymore, Gin," Harry said in amazement. "You beat me too easily."  
  
She laughed and said, "Oh, I was just toying with you for a while. I could have beat you much sooner, I just wanted to wait until everyone was gone."  
  
Harry shook his head and said, "I believe it." Then he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. She giggled and pulled his head up, and their lips brushed.  
  
"Come on, you," she said, standing up. "Bed." Harry stood up and they walked up the stairs, hand in hand. They stopped at Harry's room and shared a short, passionate kiss. Harry gave her hand one last squeeze, whispered, "See you in the morning," and stepped into his room.  
  
As the door closed he heard Ginny say back, "See you then."  
  
Harry woke up before it was completely light on Christmas morning. He looked outside and saw the whole world covered in white-a snowstorm had come through overnight and blanketed everything with thick, cold powder.  
  
After showering and dressing Harry woke Ron up, then went over to the girls' room to see if they were awake. He hadn't found a way around Mrs. Weasley's wards yet, so he just stood outside their door and listened. He didn't hear any voices, so he went downstairs to the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley was already bustling around making breakfast.  
  
"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, entering.  
  
"Merry Chrismas, Harry," she replied. "Breakfast will be ready shortly. Is Ron awake yet?"  
  
"Yeah, I woke him up before I came down. I don't think Ginny and Hermione are up yet, though. I listened for them and I didn't hear them talking or anything."  
  
"Oh, no," Mrs. Weasley replied, "they came down before you did. They're in the drawing room."  
  
Harry went to visit the girls and found them sitting by the fire in the drawing room. Hermione was still in her pyjamas, but Ginny was already dressed and was sipping a cup of tea.  
  
"'Morning, H-h-harry," Hermione said, stifling a yawn.  
  
"'Morning, 'Mione. 'Morning, Gin," Harry said, taking a seat next to Ginny on the sofa.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Harry," Ginny replied, moving closer to him. Harry put his arm around her and squeezed a little. They sat in a companionable silence for a while, until Ron came in.  
  
"Hey all you, Mum says it's time for breakfast," Ron said, before turning to the door. "Oh, and Merry Christmas," he added. They followed Ron to the kitchen where they enjoyed a delicious breakfast with the elder Weasleys before retiring to the living room where the tree stood.  
  
They got started on their presents. Harry held Ginny's next to him-he wanted to give it to her specially. Ron and Hermione loved their gifts from Harry, and they also recieved the normal sweets and a sweater from Mrs. Weasley as well as a few interesting trinkets from Ginny. Harry opened his gift from Hermione with some trepidation-as soon he picked it up, he knew it was a book. He opened it and grinned at Hermione.  
  
"How to Become an Auror," he read from the cover. "This is great, Hermione. Thanks." She grinned back. Next he opened Ron's gift and gasped. It was a small golden ball with two folded silver wings-a Golden Snitch. "Wow, Ron, this is amazing. How did you-"  
  
"Well, aren't you going to pick it up?" Ron interrupted, grinning.  
  
Confused at Ron's outburst, Harry picked up the Snitch-and it turned into a rubber chicken. Ron burst out laughing and explained, "It's one of Fred and George's new joke products. It actually flies if you tap it with your wand. Here, set it down." Harry did as he was told and the chicked turned back into a Snitch. Ron tapped a small button on the top of the Snitch with his wand and the ball took flight. Harry watched it for a moment as it hovered, and then as it tried to dash away, he snatched it from the air. This time it turned into a plastic parrot. Harry let go and tapped it with is wand and it fell, flightless, into his lap. He placed in carefully in its box and turned to Ron.  
  
"This is really cool. Maybe I'll bring it to our next Quidditch practice as a joke. Thanks, Ron." Harry grinned at his friend and turned to his last gift, the one from Ginny. He slowly removed the wrapping paper. He almost laughed when he saw what was inside.  
  
There was a box of CDs. On top was one labelled "Romantic Jazz," and under that were "Relaxing Guitar," "Midnight Jazz," and "Music for Candlelight Dinners." Harry grinned as he turned over the last CD. "Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's Greatest Hits?" he asked Ginny.  
  
"I looked up that song you were talking about, and it's on here. Track four. Dad has a CD player that's enchanted to run off magic instead of electricity, so you can listen to it through that. I thought others might be nice for-um-for special occasions, I guess," she said, blushing.  
  
Harry leaned over to her and whispered, "I love it. Thanks." He pecked her on the cheek and then turned around. He put down his gifts from Ron, Hermione, and Ginny and picked up the one from Schecter Diamonds.  
  
"And this is for you," he said, handing it to her carefully.  
  
She opened the wrapping paper and saw the boxes inside. She raised an eyebrow at Harry but didn't say anything until after she opened the boxes. Her eyes widened with each one, and when all were open she placed them reverentially on the coffee table and said, breathlessly, "Wow."  
  
Harry grinned and said, "Do you like them?"  
  
She responed, "Wow, Harry, they're wonderful! But you really shouldn't have spent-"  
  
"I wanted to," he interrupted. When Ron saw what was in the boxes he cast Harry an odd look, but thankfully kept silent. Harry glanced at the elder Weasleys and saw that Mr. Weasley was smiling down on them as if telling them it was about time and Mrs. Weasley was looking half-confused and half-amazed.  
  
"Harry," she asked, "why did you do this? Jewelry is usually something that-well, it's something that boys usually get for, say, their girlfriends," Mrs. Weasley said slowly.  
  
Harry nodded and said, "And?"  
  
"And," Mrs. Weasley replied, "and... well, nothing I guess."  
  
"What she's trying to say," Mr. Weasley broke in, "is, is there something you two want to tell us?"  
  
Harry grinned and said, "Nah, we'll just let you figure it out for yourselves." He turned to the table and picked up the boxes. "Would you like me to put them on you?" he asked, turning to a wide-eyed Ginny.  
  
"Sure, of course," she replied, still staring at them. After Harry had put all the jewelry on her she felt the pieces as if to make sure they were still there, still real. "Thanks, Harry," she said simple and she leaned over and kissed him on the lips. It was of neccessity a short kiss, but Harry felt her gratitude through its deepness and passion. They broke apart and stared at each other for a moment before Hermione started cleaning up the wrapping paper.  
  
AN: Ok, I think this is the longest chapter I've done so far and most of it is just fluffy stuff, but I like it, don't you? Please tell me! Okay, the song reference in chapter 14 is obviously "Pride and Joy" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and the Double Trouble. The name of the jewelry store was taken from Schecter Guitars' Schecter Diamonds series. Unfortunately I'm grounded right now so I won't be able to directly applaud the first people who get it. However, when I finally am able to post this, way to go, house points to whatever house is your favorite.  
  
I read some interesting essays on which is the Ginny Weasley Resource. Some revolved around the Ginny Weasley/Remus Lupin ship, which just disgusts me, but I guess some people like it. Anyway, I learned some interesting things about my favorite character while on that site. I definitely recommend checking it out.  
  
Also, I just got "The Sorcerer's Companion" by Allan Zola and Elizabeth Kronzek out from the library. I strongly suggest reading it for anyone who wants to know more about the reality and the history behind JKR's fantasy. Also there are JK's "Quidditch Through The Ages" and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"-with pseudonyms "Kennilsworthy Whisp" and "Newt Scamander." Go on, read them, they'll give you a lot of interesting information. Plus the last two benefit Comic Relief UK (nothing to do with the USA Comic Relief) which helps some or other good cause. Read JK's note in the back of those books for more info on that. Anyway, please review. Following are the replies to my latest reviews.  
  
THE VAMPIRE IN THE SHADOWS: Thanks.  
  
Sarah: Thanks. I already have, and you will.  
  
ShanXvga: Sorry, I'll work on writing more. Thanks. I will. Etc, etc, etc.  
  
secretlvr: Yeah sorry, I just like dream sequences :-D.  
  
Laura: Thank you, thank you, I'll be here 'til Thursday :-D. I promise if I ever write a book, you'll be among the first to find out.  
  
maryv- Thanks, here it is.  
  
Also thanks to everyone who keeps tabs on me:  
  
ShaneXvga for having me on your author alert and favorites list and Charmergirl07, taself, and THE VAMPIRE IN THE SHADOWS for having me in your author alerts. I'm honoured. 


	16. The Attack

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Sixteen: The Attack  
  
On the day after Christmas Harry woke up, clutching his forehead. Despite the chill of the air he was sweaty, and his long slumber somehow had only tired him out. He tried to clutch at the fragments of his dream, and as he sat in bed he pieced together what had transpired. He remembered a town-a purely Muggle town, by the look of it. And he remembered masked people with dark robes and hoods. His sleeping self didn't know who they were, but now that he was awake he recognised them instantly as Death Eaters. He saw fire and smoke and curses flying every which way. And he remembered a proffesional-looking building, a veterinarian or dentist or something, which seemed to be the focus of the attack. Then the sign outside came to him-Granger Densitry.  
  
Harry jumped out of bed, remembering that Hermione's parents were dentists, and quickly ran downstairs, still dressed. He barged into the kitchen where he heard Mrs. Weasley talking and found her crouching by the fire, conversing with Professor McGonnagal's head which was floating in the fire. He paused and listened and realised they were discussing a Death Eater attack.  
  
"Oh, Harry," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, turning to him, "thank goodness you're awake. Could you go and get Hermione, please?"  
  
"Mrs. Weasley, I have to tell you something first. And you too, Professor," he added to the fire. "I had a dream last night where Death Eaters were attacking a Muggle town," he continued, ignoring Mrs. Weasley as she tried to stop him and tell him to get Hermione. "They attacked a building with a sign out front that said "Granger Dentistry." Is that Hermione's parents?"  
  
"Yes indeed, Mr. Potter," said McGonnagal, pursing her lips. "Now if you could please go and bring Ms. Granger!"  
  
"Right," Harry said, rushing off. He ran into his room and woke up Ron, telling him to follow. Then they went to the girls' room where Harry stood outside, yelling for them to get up. Finally Ginny opened the door, yawning and looking annoyed.  
  
"What is it?" she asked irritably.  
  
"I'll explain later," Harry rushed. "Wake up Hermione!"  
  
Ginny did as she was told and a moment later Hermione was standing in the doorway, staring at them.  
  
"Why am I up so early?" she asked.  
  
"Come on, McGonnagal's head's in the fire, says she wants to talk to you. I think-" Harry hesitated. "I'll explain it to Gin and Ron. Just go down to the kitchen. Now!" he added as she turned to get dressed.  
  
"All right, all right," she said, bustling off downstairs.  
  
"Come with me," Harry said to the other two. He led them into the boys' room and explained what was going on, what he had seen in his dream. Ginny had grown pale, but Ron's reaction was worse. He was tight-lipped and staring, and his fingers were gripping the edges of his mattress so hard his knuckles were white.  
  
"Come on," Harry said to them after an uncomforable pause, "let's go down. They'll have explained it to Hermione by now."  
  
They walked down in silence, still wearing their pyjamas, to find Hermione sitting, pale and still, at the table. Mrs. Weasley was making tea and Professor McGonnagal had already left.  
  
"Were there any injuries?" Harry asked, skipping the preamble.  
  
Seeing that Hermione wasn't about to answer, Mrs. Weasley did it for her. "No, thank goodness, nothing horrible. No causualties, at least. A few minor problems, but the medi-wizards from St. Mungos fixed them right up. No, the problem is in the big security breach!" She laid five cups of tea on the table. "A whole town of Muggles saw the attack. The Ministry's working on it though. However," she paused, sitting down, "Hermione, do you want to tell them?" Hermione shook her head. "All right, then. Well, Hermione's parents weren't injured in anyway. But... the dentistry and the Granger house were destroyed, along with everything in them. Apparently the Death Eaters thought Hermione would be at home for Christmas. Lucky for her she wasn't! And the Grangers were on vacation in Ireland. They have been informed of the situation and are returning to the site of their previous home. I'm afraid the entire building was razed to the ground. There's simply nothing left!" Mrs. Weasley sighed and took a sip of tea.  
  
Although it seemed inappropriate at the time, Harry sighed in relief. He was just glad no one was hurt. Then another thought struck him-Why were they after Hermione? First Ginny, then Hermione. Maybe they just wanted anyone who was connected to him. Harry nodded to Ron as the latter poured a shot of Odgen's into everyone's tea, then said, "Why Hermione?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips and took another sip of tea, and Ginny's stare darted from a spot just above the stove to Harry's eyes before skipping to Hermione, who shook her head. Ron just sat and drank his tea.  
  
"I think," Harry started slowly, "I think maybe they want to hurt me as much as possible, without the risk of actually attacking me. I think maybe they'll attack everyone associated with me, everyone I'm friends with. I dreamt before that they wanted to capture Ginny, and now they wanted to kill Hermione. I think I'm putting you all in danger just by knowing you. I think I should just-"  
  
"No," said Hermione sharply, looking up. Everyone started, as this was the first thing Hermione had contributed to the conversation thus far. She shook her head and continued, "No, you shouldn't. I know where you're taking this. You won't leave and you won't distance yourself from us. It's not going to stop them; they already know who we are. Obviously they've been keeping tabs on Ginny and me, and I bet on Ron too. We knew it was going to happen eventually. Just live with it, Harry." Then Hermione went back to her tea.  
  
Harry stared at her for a moment, surprised that anyone could have him figured out so well, then shook his head, remembering that she was the smartest witch he knew.  
  
"Okay," she said, smiling slightly, "so we all know now that Hermione can read minds. So what do we do about this, then?" Ron and Ginny shrugged and Hermione shook her head again, but Mrs. Weasley volunteered the requested information.  
  
"Like I said, Hermione's parents are returning to their town. We've set up a safe Portkey spot, so Hermione's going to visit them for a while. Her parents will probably take a room in a hotel for a while until they can find a more permanent home." Then she stood up and started preparing breakfast.  
  
After a short, silent meal Ginny and Harry helped clean up while Ron and Hermione sat in the sitting room, staring at nothing but squeezing each other's hands tightly. Harry and Ginny joined them, and they all sat, doing nothing, until Harry got sick of the silence and went upstairs to polish his Firebolt.  
  
After a lengthy session of broom-care, including liberal amounts of polish and a long time spent examining twigs for warping, Harry sighed, put down the broom, and returned to the sitting room. Luckily, he didn't have to endure much more silence, because just then Mrs. Weasley called them in for lunch. Harry woke Ginny who had been dozing in her favorite armchair and they all went into the kitchen.  
  
"Hermione, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, setting down a plate of sandwiches, "an owl arrived for you."  
  
Hermione thanked Mrs. Weasley and opened the letter. After she read it and nodded she passed it to Ron, who in turn handed it to Ginny. Finally it was Harry's turn.  
  
Dear Ms. Granger,  
  
Professor McGonnagol has informed me that she has already explained the situation regarding your home to you via the Floo. Your parents are staying in a hotel not far from their home and they have expressed a wish to see you. We have arranged for this letter to turn into a Portkey to their room at precisely eleven tomorrow morning. Please be prepared.  
  
Best Regards,  
  
Albus Dumbledore.  
  
Harry handed the letter back to Hermione, who stuffed it into her pocket before turning to her sandwich. After a hasty meal Harry and the others went into the boys' room to talk. The discussed the attack, and Harry told Hemione about his dream. She in turn told them what McGonnagal had said. Ron insisted that he accompany Hermione to meet her parents, but she expressly forbid it.  
  
That night they again ate in silence before heading straight to bed. Ron and Hermione hugged breifly before parting, and Harry and Ginny shared a short moment alone.  
  
"Good night," Ginny said simply, and then she reached to peck him on the cheek.  
  
Harry turned his head, catching her lips briefly, before whispering back, "Good night." He squeezed her hand and then turned into his room.  
  
AN: I hope you liked it. I realize this was probably unexpected from me, because, well, most of this fic has been fluffy romance, but I think I had to put SOMETHING solid in here to keep it realistic. Please review, but don't flame me. I had to do it.  
  
I realised the last chapter was the longest one I've written so far, but I lot is because of my length author's note. I am trying to bring you longer chapters, though. I'm still grounded, but I'm trying to make the best of it by writing loads. Unfortunately, I'm going to be in West Virginia for most of Saturday and Sunday, but I'll try to post these on Monday if I can make my parents let me :-D. Also, I'll reply to all the reviews after then sometime. Sorry about this. Of course, I know you won't read this until Monday at least, but I thought I'd explain the delay.  
  
Anyway, again, please review. See you next chapter! 


	17. New Year's Eve

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Seventeen: New Year's Eve  
  
The next morning Harry woke up from a thankfully dreamless sleep, ready to see Hermione off to visit her parents. After bathing and dressing he went down to breakfast where Ginny and Hermione were already sipping tea with Mrs. Weasley. Ron hadn't awakened yet.  
  
"Good morning, Harry, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, standing up and filling a plate of eggs and sausage for Harry.  
  
"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, taking the plate and sitting down. Ron joined them not long after and soon they were all finished eating and had retired to the sitting room again, this time in a state of nervous anticipation. At ten thirty Hermione went upstairs to finish getting ready, and at five 'til eleven she came down and pulled the letter from her pocket. Mrs. Weasley appeared, fussing over Hermione, making sure she had everything, making sure she was ready. Then there was only one minute left. Hermione hoisted her bag on her shoulders, held the parchement firmly, waved to the others, and counted down, looking at her watch.  
  
"Five, four, three, two, one," and then she was gone. Everyone sat silently for a moment, then Harry sighed and went to his room, followed by Ginny. Ron didn't come, so Harry assumed he had been given some chore or other to do by Mrs. Weasley. Harry and Ginny worked on homework, talked a bit, and eventually ended up just sitting silently by the fire, reading. Finally they heard Mrs. Weasley calling them down for lunch, and on their way through the sitting room they saw Ron standing up from the same spot he had been sitting in an hour ago.  
  
"Didn't you move at all?" Ginny asked him.  
  
"No," Ron said shortly before moving into the kitchen.  
  
The next morning Ron was, again, tense. They had recieved an owl from Hermione last night, explaining that she would be spending the night, that everything was fine, that her parents were looking for a new buidling for their dentistry practice, and that they shouldn't worry, she'd be back around lunch time.  
  
Lunch time came, and Hermione wasn't back yet. They ate in silence, or in Ron's case just stared at the food. Finally they heard a thump in the living room. Ron started, then stood up and ran. Harry, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley followed at a lesser pace, arriving in the living room to see Hermione, looking slightly breathless, clutching the now-torn and dirty paper and her bag. Ron was standing a little closer to her than he probably would have under normal circumstances.  
  
"Hey, Hermione," Harry said, waving from the doorway.  
  
"Oh, hi Harry, Mrs. Weasley, Ginny," Hermione said, stepping back from Ron.  
  
"How was it, Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley asked.  
  
Hermione looked confused for a moment, then answered, "Well, it was better than I thought it would be. I mean, the house is burnt down and all our stuff's gone, but no one in the town seems to remember anything strange, they just think the stove was left on and the house burned down. And one's hurt."  
  
"Well, that's a relief, anyway," Mrs. Weasley said, shaking her head. "Come on, we were just eating lunch."  
  
That night Hermione gave a more detailed account of what had happened to her friends, explaining that the Death Eaters specifically targeted the Granger house, almost ignoring everyone and everything else. Officials from the Ministry of Magic had apparated almost immediately, but they weren't fast enough to save the house and dentistry office. Hermione had spent the night in an upscale hotel in the downtown area with her parents who were relieved that Hermione was all right.  
  
The next two days passed uneventfully, until it was New Year's Eve. The elder Weasleys went to bed early because Mrs. Weasley had a head cold and Mr. Weasley was just tired, so the four friends stayed up late together in the boys' room. Finally they were counting down until the new year, and when it arrived they shot sparks from their wands around the room and let off a round of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes indoor fireworks.  
  
Fifteen minutes later the fireworks had finally dissapated, and the group decided to go to bed. Ron and Hermione shared a short, passionate kiss outside the girls' room, leaving Harry alone with Ginny. They said goodnight and again, kissed deeply before breaking apart and staring into each other's eyes.  
  
"I love you," Harry whispered.  
  
Ginny blushed and squeezed his hand, whispering back, "I love you, too." Then she turned and walked to her room. Harry changed and got into bed, dreaming about Ginny.  
  
AN: Another short one, I know. Sorry. Hope it wasn't too boring or anything-no action, not much romance, and all. I'm still grounded, and there are chores to be done. Hopefully I'll write another chapter Sunday night when I get back from West Virginia. See you then! 


	18. After The Holidays

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Eighteen: After the Holidays  
  
The trip back to Hogwarts was uneventful. After they were all settled in they went into the common room to chat with friends and play chess, and eventually it was time for dinner. After a large meal and dessert, the group retired back to the common room and, eventually, went to bed.  
  
The next few weeks past as normal, except that Harry scheduled Quidditch practices more and more often in preparation for the next game, Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. The week before the match, Harry decided to have a little fun.  
  
"All right, team," he said as he walked into the locker room, "today we're just going to fly. Just go out and fly for the fun of it. Practice if you want to but just concentrate on having fun. I know I've been pushing you hard in practices, so today is just to relieve the tension. Come on!" He led them out onto the pitch where the all took to the air, flying around the stadium, in patterns, weaving around the goal posts, and just having fun. Harry spotted Ginny going into a dive, and raced with her. They sped towards the ground, and Harry was slightly behind at the start of the dive. Just as Harry inched ahead Ginny pulled up, but Harry held for a second longer, knowing he would make it. Just as the handle of his broom brushed the grass, he pulled up, causing Ginny to gasp.  
  
"And that's how you have to do it," he said, grinning.  
  
"What," she said, grinning back, "break my neck?" Then an overexaggerated look of realization crept over her face and she said slowly, "Oh, you mean dive!" She grinned again.  
  
Shaking his head, Harry said, "Yeah, the Wronski Feint. And it helps if you hold your hand out in front of you and have a concentrated look on your face, like you're headed at the Snitch. That's how I got Cho smashed up the first game. Then-well, you saw. I'll never get over the look on Boot's face when he saw the Snitch in my hand, he thought I was feinting again...."  
  
Ginny grinned and sped off, while Harry headed up to watch the team. He saw two of the starting Chasers teaching the reserves the Hawkshead Attacking Formation while both Keepers were trying to defend the goal hoops. The Beaters were around somewhere, swinging their bats and seeing how high they could fly. And Ginny... Harry shook his head. His mind kept turning to Ginny, but he had to watch the practice. He saw the reserve Chasers break through the Keepers and score a goal, cheering, and then he saw Ginny appear and start teaching them the reverse pass.  
  
After an hour of joy-flying, Harry called them down. "I'm heading in for dinner. If any of you want to stay and keep it up, that's fine, just clean up when you come in." He took a shower and put his things away before heading back to the castle, and on the walk up Ginny caught up with him.  
  
"I practiced the Wronski Feint a little more," she said, looping her arm in his. "I can time it so I pull up when my broomstick's already brushing the grass."  
  
Harry grinned down at her and said, "That's good. You'll be great, year after next when I'm not here to play Seeker. You will try out then, won't you?"  
  
"I dunno, that's a long way off."  
  
"Yeah," Harry said, opening the door.  
  
At dinner that night Ron kept telling them all how he successfully used the Starfish and Stick against the reserve Chasers and about his amazing save against the Hawkshead Attacking Formation where he dived down on top of the Chasers, snatching the Quaffle away a moment before it went through the hoop.  
  
That night they worked as hard as ever on the growing burden of homework, trying to keep up, while Hermione bombarded Ginny with information about the OWLs and what she had to do to prepare.  
  
"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed as Hermione started, for the fourth time, to verbally analyze Ginny's homework schedule. "I know how to do my own homework!"  
  
Hermione blushed and said, "Oh, sorry, Ginny. I just got carried away, I guess."  
  
"Yeah, you did," Ginny said, sitting back down.  
  
The week leading up to the Quidditch match was filled with tension, and even Proffesor Sprout seemed ready to burst with anticipation. Harry noticed how the Hufflepuffs had been practicing more than usual lately, and at the last practice before the game he again arranged a mock match between teems, without Seekers, allowing the score to reach 370-230, starters in the lead, before catching the Snitch himself and ending the game.  
  
"All right, that was good, that was good. Ron, don't risk the Starfish and Stick in the game, and Ginny, if you have to play reserve Seeker please, please be careful with the Wronski Feint. Last time you tried it tonight you came up with dirt on your broom handle. And anyway, if you use it too often they'll get used to it and won't follow anymore. Besides that, I think everythings wonderful. Team dismissed."  
  
He cleaned up and walked back to the castle, eating quickly and heading back to the common room to do more homework.  
  
The next day was Friday, the day before the match, and Harry was excited. He was sure this game was in the bag, considering how well the practices had been going. He barely payed attention in classes, and that night he only did a little homework before calling out, "Team, bed!" He counted as twelve team members headed up to their dorms, and he saw Ron and Hermione kiss good night. He caught Ginny's hand just before she went up the stairs and said, "Good night, Gin," brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.  
  
"'Night," she said, before sharing a short kiss with him.  
  
Harry squeezed her hand and went up to his dorm, changing and laying on his bed with a sigh. He drifted off, dreaming of Snitches and Ginny.  
  
AN: Okay, it's short. Sorry. Deal with it. Here's my latest rant. Damn it all! It's Monday evening and I'm still grounded. I won't be able to post tomorrow, either. Wednesday is a maybe. I'm sorry you all had to wait so long, and I promise I won't ever get grounded (this bad) again! I promise! Okay, that aside, I have to go to fencing now so I'll see you all in the next chapter. Please review! 


	19. The Capture of the Snitch

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Nineteen: The Capture of the Snitch  
  
Harry woke up on Saturday refreshed from a long night of thankfully dreamless sleep. He was in high and hopeful spirits as he went down to breakfast, joining his grim team. "Come on," he said buoyantly, "this isn't Slytherin or anything! Hufflepuff plays clean, and from what I've seen out there in practices, we'll have no problem with them! Lighten up a little, eat something!" Harry tried for the next half hour to force his teammates to eat, while feasting on eggs and sausage himself. Finally he took the team down to the pitch and gave them a short, inspirational talk, ending with, "And most of all, play clean. We won't sink to Slytherin's level by cheating. Go out there, play a fun, clean game, and if we lose, remember this isn't the World Cup!" With that, he led them onto the pitch to the cheers of the Gryffindors.  
  
Madam Hooch asked for a clean, good game, and Harry shook the hand of a tall Hufflepuff he didn't recognise, before taking to the air at Madam Hooch's whistle. He spotted the Snitch instantly, and unfortunately so did the Hufflepuff Seeker. It was hovering just above the ground near the Hufflepuff goal posts. However, Harry wanted to have a real game and didn't want to dissapoint everyone who came out, so he sped towards the Snitch, blocking the other Seeker but not catching the ball himself.  
  
"Let's have a game!" he said, grinning at the Hufflepuff, who nodded and flew off in the opposite direction. Harry took to circling, looking for the Snitch and watching the game. His team seemed to be doing well, they were winning fifty to thirty, but the Hufflepuff team was coordinated and organized to the point where their attacks seemed to go over the heads of the Gryffindors. Ron saved the goals most of the time out of luck, apparently. Harry circled higher, occasionally swooping low over the pitch for the joy of it, but always keeping an eye on the Hufflepuff Seeker. Suddenly Harry saw the Snitch, just in front of the Slytherin section of the stands, and he sped toward it, noticing as he did that it darted downward. Harry dived, hearing the opposing Seeker grunt behind him and listening to the jeers of the Slytherins. The Snitch changed direction again, darting towards the Gryffindor goalposts, but Harry wasn't going to give up. Just as it started to speed upwards he jumped off his broom, down onto the Snitch. He rolled when he hit the ground and stood up, Firebolt held in one hand and the Snitch held high in the other. The cheers of the Gryffindors hit him like a wave, along with the announcement of the final score.  
  
"Gryffindor wins, two hundred seventy to ninety!"  
  
Harry grinned and hopped back on his broom, hurtling toward the locker room. After cleaning up, showering, and chatting with his teammates he headed back to the common room, where he was greeted by another round of cheers and general noise. The party lasted until past two in the morning, when McGonagal came to send everone to bed. After swilling the dregs of his Butterbeer and wishing all a good night, Harry swept his love over to a quiet corner.  
  
"You were great today, Gin," he said, hugging her. "Really, that play where you did the Hawkshead but then reversed passed, that really stunned them." He poked her nose gently. "Wonderful."  
  
Ginny giggled and said back, "You weren't so bad yourself. We wouldn't have played at all if you'd have caught the Snitch right off. Oh yes," she said, laughing at the surprised expression on his face, "I saw that. We all saw. And when you said to that Hufflepuff to play the game out a little more, that was great, the expression on his face! You probably would have broken a record, you know," she added thoughtfully. "About a second into the game, really. And then that whole thing at the end where the Snitch tried to get away and you jumped on it, really! That was... well, I guess it was really a climactic end to the game." He grinned again as he stroked her hair.  
  
"Good night, Ginny," he whispered. Then he kissed her deeply, breaking off only when Seamus called over at them.  
  
"Hey, get a room!" he grinned at them, before turning back to the attentions of Parvati Patil.  
  
"You too, Finnigan!" Harry called back. Then he turned back to Ginny. "I love you," he said, staring into her eyes.  
  
"I love you too, Harry," she whispered back, her eyes overly bright. "Good night." She smiled up at him, pecked him on the cheek, and went off to her dorm.  
  
Harry went to his own, changing and closing the curtains as he laid down, hand on his cheek. "Good night, Gin," he murmured as he drifted.  
  
AN: Okay, it's short. No apologies. It's late after fencing as I'm writing this. Started at ten after ten. Now it's twenty of eleven. I'm listening to an awesome soundtrack right now, it's for Brian Froud's book "Faeries," check it out! The track right now is Dreaming by BT, but there's also Balligomingo, Delerium, Sasha Lazard, Paul Schwartz, Cirque du Soleil, Moodswings, Nightnoise, and the genius Michael Hedges. Please buy it, even if you don't like Brian Froud's art (not like Froud's Faeries? You're insane!). I talked to Kieran (ff.n penname ShaneXVga) at fencing, he's my most faithful reader and reviewer for this fic, and he expressed extreme discontent at the fact that I wouldn't be able to post until at least Wednesday. I'm sorry, Kieran and all my other readers (dare I say "fans"?), you'll get the chapters as soon as I can get them to you. I am, of course, still grounded. I apologize profusely for my deficiency in getting out of deep trouble. It won't happen again. Now please review! Now! See you in chapter twenty! 


	20. Valentine's Day

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Twenty: Valentine's Day  
  
A week past without incident until it was Monday morning again. The owl post came rushing in and Hermione gasped as she picked up the Daily Prophet. "Death Eater Attacks," she read. The article featured a burst of attacks that had taken place on Sunday on the Continent. Hundreds of Muggles and Muggle-borns dead, whole towns ruined, governements working themselves to death trying to hide it from the Muggles, and then an attack early Monday morning in America, more dead Muggles and Muggle-borns. Death and confusion, worry and sorrow. Harry sat, shocked, while Hermione read the article, then pushed his plate away.  
  
"I'm not hungry," he said, standing up.  
  
"Hey Harry," Ron said, looking at the Slytherin table, "look at Draco, that little git!"  
  
Draco was smirking around at the hall as though he had just made an incredible catch of the Snitch, like Christmas had come early, like he had just recieved great news. "He must know!" Hermione said, outraged. "How dare he even show his face! His father, running around in a mask and hood, killing Muggles, and he's sitting there acting like a king!"  
  
Harry shook his head and walked stiffly out of the room to the first class off the day.  
  
That night Ginny threw down her quill in frustration. "What is it?" Harry asked, walking over to her.  
  
"All this homework! I don't know how you all did it!" She was glaring at the stacks of books and parchment on the table in front of her.  
  
"We had Hermione," Harry explained.  
  
"Oh, right," Ginny said tiredly. "I forgot. Hermione. No problem, then!" She shook her head and picked up her quill again. Harry sat down next to her and helped her through her work.  
  
Around midnight Harry kissed Ginny and headed to bed, leaving her with the rest of the work. He felt guilty about not helping more, but between his own homework, the news of the attacks, and Draco's smirking at everyone, he was worn out.  
  
Over the next week Harry took to staying up into the wee hours of the morning working on Ginny's homework, but the load only seemed to increase. Quidditch practices went at a more normal pace as the next Gryffindor game wasn't until near the end of the year. February rolled around, and suddenly it was Valentines day, and it was also a Hogsmeade weekend. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all went together, but they split up when they reached the town. Ron and Hermione wandered off in the general direction of Madam Puddifoot's, but Harry made sure he steered Ginny away from that uncomforable spot. Instead he took her to the Three Broomsticks for lunch and a Butterbeer, then to Honeyduke's, Zonko's, and all the regular spots, then back to the pub to meet Ron and Hermione.  
  
They sat down and Harry ordered the drinks. Finally Ron and Hermione came in, looking a little flushed. Harry noticed there was pink confetti stuck to Hermione's cloak. Harry raised an eyebrow when they sat down but didn't say anything. Ron ordered two more Butterbeers and they sat around, drinking and talking, until finally Harry paid and left with Ginny on his arm. They went back to the empty common room where they sat, close together, on a couch in front of the fire, until Harry leaned over and kissed he, starting off a serious snog session that ended when Dean came in with his girlfriend and threw a pillow at them.  
  
"Oh, sorry, Thomas," Harry said, grinning, "I've taken your favorite spot!" This earned him another pillow and laughs all around, and they broke apart, standing up and straightening their robes. "I don't know about you all, but I'm all for dinner," Harry said, walking out, followed by Ginny.  
  
That night they met up again with Ron and Hermione and did yet more homework before calling it a night. They boys kissed their girls good night and headed to their dorms where they fell asleep quickly after a tiring day.  
  
AN: Really short, yup. Just one really short chapter. I think I'll have between 25 and 30 total, in case you're wondering. Today's Tuesday, and I'm hoping to write one or two more before tomorrow afternoon when I can finally (hopefully) post. Please forgive me for the incredible delay. I haven't forgotten!  
  
I'm listening to the new Avril Lavigne CD, "Under My Skin," right now, it it's awesome! Go get it! Anyway, please review. Bye! 


	21. Ginny's Birthday

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Disclaimer: My disclaimer is the standard. See the first chapter for the nitty-gritty. This is more of an author's note than a real disclaimer. I wanted to apologise. Glancing back over my last few chapters I've realised that my writing has deteriorated from an almost-proffessional level to that of a beginning writer. I could lay the blame on the stress of being grounded, on time taken by playing guitar, reading, or schoolwork, or on the fact that I sort of ran out of story; however, the real reason is pure laziness. I didn't feel like elaborating, so I didn't do it. I swear that if I ever go back and beta read this story and re-post it, I'll work on that. For now, I'll try to improve. Thanks for your patience.  
  
Chapter Twenty One: Ginny's Birthday  
  
Time seemed to rush into March, and Harry realised that he should probably plan something for Ginny's fast-approaching birthday. With the help of Dobby and a few tips from a giggling Hermione, Harry arranged the Room of Requirement in his mind so that it would be perfect for that special night. Finally the day arrived, and Harry pretended as though nothing was different than usual.  
  
When Harry didn't immediately come out with something, Ginny was a bit put out, but she realized if he wasn't doing anything yet it was just because he had something better in mind for later. However, as the day wore on and Harry gave no hint he knew the day was special Ginny became worried, then frustrated. How could he just forget? She stopped just short of yelling at him at one point, and deliberately went down to dinner than night with friends from her own year rather than Harry. Just as she reached the Great Hall she felt a hand on her arm.  
  
"Come with me," Harry said quietly to her, tugging at her. Ginny raised her eyebrows, thinking that maybe he hadn't forgotten after all, as she followed him. She realized where they were heading and almost laughed out loud. How predictable! When they arrived at the Room of Requirement Harry held open the door and bowed her inside. There was a small table set for two and a wide burgundy sofa. Dobby was standing next to the table, looking quite odd wearing a jacket, bowtie, three pairs of socks, and several hats.  
  
"Harry Potter!" Dobby squeaked, "you have brought your other Wheeezy! Your Miss Wheezey! Harry Potter, sir, is very lucky to have Miss Wheez-" Dobby cut off as Harry held a finger to his lips. Dobby nodded, said, "Sorry," and stood silently. Harry pulled out a chair for Ginny and sat down opposite her, and Dobby handed them each menus.  
  
Harry smiled at Dobby, mouthed, "Thank you," and said out loud, "I'll have the Veal Parmisan, please. And," he added after a moment's thought, "some mulled wine, if it isn't too much trouble."  
  
Dobby snapped his fingers and Harry's plate and glass filled themselves. Taking her cue from Harry, Ginny ordered her dinner and drink, and Dobby caused it to appear before bowing and vanishing. After the delicious meal Dobby reappeared and snapped his fingers again, causing the dishes to clean themselves and new menus to appear in front of the couple. They ordered their desserts and Dobby served and left again. They ate in silence, Harry because of nerves and Ginny because of her excited curiousity. She couldn't wait to find out what else Harry had planned. Finally their plates cleaned themselves as Dobby reappeared, bearing a couple packages. Ginny knew immediately what was in the first one, a long, skinny white box, but the others puzzled her. Dobby laid the boxes on a low table which appeared in front of the sofa and bowed again as Harry led Ginny to the couch and sat her down. Dobby dissappeared, taking the table and chairs with him, and Ginny glanced at the packages, eyebrow raised.  
  
"Go on," Harry said, smiling. Ginny slowly picked up the first one, finding inside a single beautiful red rose. It was larger than any rose she had seen prior to this night, the spread of its petals easily topping the length of a stretched hand. She gasped in pleasure as she realised it was completely, naturally thornless. There were no spots where thorns could have been removed, so she wasn't even sure this was a rose.  
  
Seeing her look of curiosity, Harry explained, "I asked Neville to breed it specially for me. It's naturally thornless, and grows quickly and never wilts. It will always stay like that. We've been working on it for weeks," Harry finished. Ginny thanked him with a short kiss before turning back to the other boxes on the table.  
  
"And these?" she asked, waving a hand at the rest of the gifts.  
  
"Open them," Harry said simply. Ginny nodded and obeyed, her eyes growing wider with each small box. Inside was another complete set of jewelry, the same size and shape as her Christmas gifts, but this time fashioned out of platinum with pure clear diamonds set inside. Ginny felt a tear trail down her cheek.  
  
"Harry," she protested, finally finding her voice, "this must have cost a fortune! You shouldn't-"  
  
"I wanted to," Harry said, "and I can. And I did. And I have the money. I only hope they're beautiful enough-I'm afraid you quite outstrip them," he said with a wry smile as Ginny blushed. "It's odd, the wearer more beautiful than the jewelry. Do you like it?" Harry asked, picking up the necklace. Ginny nodded silently but didn't put it on.  
  
"It'd only get in the way," she explained, bringing a bewildered look to Harry's face.  
  
"Sorry," he said slowly, "you lost me on that one. Get in the way of wha-" then he stopped as he found out. Ginny snatched his glasses off his face, placing them quickly on the table, then she pressed her face onto his, finding his lips and kissing him shortly and passionately. Harry looked into her eyes and saw a determined, firey look. Resigned to what he knew was to follow, Harry allowed himself to be pushed back on the sofa, Ginny climbing all over him, kissing him at a mad pace. She was causing him to feel strangely and almost uncomfortably, and Harry figured if he felt that way she should to. He grabbed he by the arms and flipped them over so he was on the top, and he kissed her deeply, exploring her mouth, before moving on to the rest of her.  
  
Five minutes later Harry pulled back, finding his clothes halfway off and Ginny's even more skewed. He was seeing more of her than he ever had before, and the thought wasn't at all disturbing. However, he knew they couldn't-not yet-go any furthur, they were still too young, still in school. Harry sighed, kissed her one more time, and sat up.  
  
"The same," Harry said, watching Ginny's face go from blissful to puzzled. "Too far. We can't. Sorry." He ran a hand through his hair and stood up, helping Ginny to her feet. They straightened each other's robes and kissed deeply before cleaning up and gathering they items on the table to themselves. Harry called out, "Dobby!" and the house-elf appeared, looking quite pleased.  
  
"Yes, Harry Potter, sir?" he asked squeakily.  
  
"I just wanted to thank you," Harry started, "for helping me with this. Now I'd like to introduce you to Ginny Weasley. Gin, Dobby." Ginny giggled as Dobby bent slightly and kissed her hand before straightening and looking Ginny in the eyes.  
  
"Miss Wheezey must be a great and noble witch to be Harry Potter's friend. Harry Potter is a great wizard, Miss Wheezey," Dobby said, bouncing slightly.  
  
"I know," Ginny said, grinning, "and he's great at a lot more than magic," she added suggestively. Harry laughed and asked Dobby to clean up the furniture, thanking him one more time as he closed the door behind him.  
  
"Happy Birthday," he said at last as they reached the common room. He kissed her and added, "Good night, love."  
  
"'Night, Harry," Ginny whispered, turning to her dorm.  
  
"I love you," Harry softly called after, heading up to his own room.  
  
AN: Well, what do you think? I figured a little romance in detail wouldn't go amiss at this stage. Again, I'm sorry for the delay and sorry for my previous writing. I'll get better, I promise! Anyway, now it's about 11 Tuesday night, I'm listening to Avril's "Let Go" album, on the second-to-last track, and I'm about to hear the next one again. BTW, I also got SRV's Greatest Hits 2 and Aerosmith's Honkin' on Bobo today, I don't ONLY listen to Avril. She's great, though. Anyway, I have to get going, I want to sleep tonight at some point. Hopefully you'll be reading this tomorrow, if I can convince my mom I've been grounded long enough. However, this might have to wait until Friday. Sorry if it does. I can't imagine the amount of emails I'd have to sort through! Replies to all the reviews I've recieved after 4 PM last Friday (Eastern time) will be posted on the chapter I write just after I post this batch of chapters. BTW, this batch means seven at this point, plus a second chapter for "Ginny" and a new one-shot. Hopefully this whole story will be up by the 24th of July, as the next day I'm leaving to Southern Maryland on a mission trip. Wish me luck! I hope I don't end up with West Nile! We'll be right in Swampland.... Anyway, enough rambling. See you in 22! 


	22. The Peruvian Vipertooth

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Twenty Two: The Peruvian Vipertooth  
  
The next few weeks passed quickly, and just before the Easter holidays Ravenclaw narrowly defeated Hufflepuff in Quidditch, leaving only one match left-Gryffindor against Slytherin. The group stayed at Hogwarts, and by the end they had finally caught up on all their homework. Harry started to speed up and intensify Quidditch practices in anticipation of the last game of the season.  
  
Two weeks after Easter the Daily Prophet carried more bad news. A major Death Eater attack had been successful in London. Over a hundred dead, many more injured, and the Ministry was having a tough time of covering it all up. The school was rather silent and grim that day, with the exception of Malfoy's select group of Slytherins. Although there had been attacks just as bad reported earlier, none had been quite so close to home. A few students in particular seemed pale and drawn, as their families lived in or around London. Some recieved official-looking letters bearing news that made them cry or go off food, and some recieved letters from their families, bringing them back to life. However, the worst were the ones who didn't get anything at all-they didn't know what had happened.  
  
As if in an attempt to cause them to forget the attack, the teachers piled on more homework than ever, and Harry was staying up till past midnight just working on his own. He skipped two Hogsmeade weekends helping Ginny, and even Hermione seemed to be working later than usual.  
  
Then near the end of April Ron recieved a letter borne by Errol. "It's from Mum," Ron called to Ginny before opening it. As he read it his face visibly changed color, going from vibrant and colourful to pale and haggard. By the end there were tears in his eyes.  
  
"What is it?" Ginny asked, snatching the letter. Her reaction was much the same. When she was finished she threw down the letters and ran from the room. Curious, Harry picked it up looked at Ron, who nodded and waved his hand before sitting down with a thump.  
  
Harry quickly scanned the letter, then, not believing what he saw, he read it through again. It was about Charlie. He had been in Peru, working on taming some young Peruvian Vipertooth dragons. He was just getting ready to depart, as they were almost fully grown. Then one had attacked, sending them all into a frenzy. Three people had died and seven were suffering from burns and other injuries. Charlie was among the casualties.  
  
Harry passed the letter to an impatient Hermione and plopped down next to Ron, who didn't even blink. His eyes were glazed and he seemed to be staring at the back of an armchair a little way away. When Hermione was done she, too, sat down.  
  
They sat in silence for a moment, just thinking and remembering. Charlie, dead. To a dragon. Harry remembered Bill and Charlie banging the tables together at the Burrow, stunning the Hungarian Horntail, at the Quidditch World Cup. He was always so cheerful, always happy. And now he was cold and dead. To a dragon.  
  
Harry stood up and went to the dorm. Classes were over and they hadn't eaten or done any homework yet, but he didn't feel like he could manage either right now. He feel asleep.  
  
When he woke up it was dark, but it didn't seem to be very late. He could hear voices coming from the common room, so he stood up. His stomach rumbled and he realized how hungry he actually was. Putting on his glasses and straightening his robes he walked down to the common room to find it almost empty. Hermione, Ginny, and Ron were talking softly, and there were a few fifth and seventh years working on their homework, but everyone else was gone.  
  
"Where is everyone?" Harry asked, approaching his friends.  
  
"Dinner," Ron grunted. Harry nodded and sat down with them, listening to them talk. He pulled out his Divination homework and started to make up tragedies for himself. One took care of itself, however-the death of a friend. He wrote that in first thing before giving Trelaweny some horrible news-Harry was going to suffer from diseases, injuries, and a near-death experience, but would somehow make it through to the end of the school year. Poor Trelawney, he usually predicted his own gory, tragic death, but this time she'd have to live with a surviving, if downtrodden, Harry.  
  
The next day he turned in his homework, to the delight and then dissapointment of Proffesor Trelawney, who read his entire report out loud to the class. Over the next week Harry saw students, mainly Gryffindors, come up to Ron and Ginny and tell them just how sorry they were, and even some teachers-McGonnagal, Flitwick, Hagrid, and Sprout-gave words of comfort to the Weasleys.  
  
Harry found that Quidditch practices made an excellent escape. He brought them up to twice a week, and made sure he tired himself and everyone out by practicing for three or four hours straight without breaks. He would practice and teach new moves on the first practice each week, and the second was set up like a game without Seekers. He desparately wanted to humiliate Slytherin in the last game of the season, so he made sure both teams knew all the tricks he could think of. He drilled them constantly, making sure everything could be done from muscle memory. He wanted to get his Chasers to the point where they seemed to be able to read each other's minds. He also started Seeker practices again, except these were real practices rather than snogging sessions. He would play against Ginny at catching the Snitch, training her to be able to hold off opposing Seekers from catching without ending the game herself. He also trained her eyes to seek constantly for any metallic glint, to the point where she could catch the Snitch in less than ten seconds, even if she had her eyes closed when Harry released it.  
  
Harry realized the starting Chasers were definitely going to have some trouble from the reserves next year, as he was training them equally and both teams could do the moves as well as the other. He started leaving the Chasers on their own to practice while training the Keepers and Beaters.  
  
Finally another Hogsmeade weekend approached and this time Harry went, homework aside. He definitely deserved a break from grief and Quidditch and work. He visited all his regular spots alone, as Ginny had stayed behind to write a Potions essay. Finally he stopped at the Three Broomsticks, his pockets full of jokes and tricks from Zonko's, treats for Hedwig, and candy from Honeydukes. He made sure to buy everything Ginny liked so he could shower her with the sweets when he returned. He ordered a Butterbeer and sat down with Ron and Hermione, showing them the latest tricks from Zonko's and talking about Quidditch. They finally went back to the castle and into the Common Room where Ginny was dozing in an armchair, he essay finished. Harry sat down near her as Ron and Hermione went to the other end of the room. She stirred when she heard them enter, and as her eyes opened Harry stood up and started emptying his pockets.  
  
"'Morning, sunshine," he said as she huffed grumpily at being awakened. "I bought you everything."  
  
"Everything?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "And how much does everything cost?"  
  
Harry grinned and showed her all he had bought, forcing her to take all her favorite sweets and jokes while bantering with her casually. More students started to filter into the Common room, and Harry started back in on his own homework. Dinner rolled around, and after a hearty meal they did yet more work in silence, until Ron's head dropped onto the fresh ink of his Charms essay. When he woke up, words printed backwards on his forehead, they called it a night.  
  
AN: Yay! I just got some great news. My dad needs my to look up a song on the internet today! That means I have an excuse to post these! That's eight chapters, plus one for Ginny and one one-shot. Plus I can check my two email addresses and do some stuff on Yahoo Groups. Yay! I'm so happy! Of course, I know I shouldn't be. Charlie's dead, after all. Sorry about that-I felt this thing was getting a little to concentrated on romance and not enough on the real world, so I felt I had to mix it up a little. Lucky for you, that makes the fluffy stuff seem even fluffier when I get to it! Anyway, please review and hopefully I'll get back to you eventually. Thanks. See you next chapter! 


	23. The Ceremony

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Twenty Three: The Ceremony  
  
An owl arrived on Moday bearing the news that the cermony for Charlie would take place that Saturday in Hogwarts. Harry called off Quidditch practice both in honour of the occasions and because of the fact that some of the team would be at the ceremony anyway. The week dragged by, weighted with work and sorrow, until finally it was Saturday morning.  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny went down to the black-draped Great Hall accompanied by many other Gryffindors. Inside they found rows of comfortable chairs turned in a semi-circle towards the front of the room, where, on a small dais, was a large, plain wooden coffin. Harry didn't really listen to the speeches that were given-he, like many others in the room-was remembering Charlie, and didn't need the help of the various friends and relatives who reminisced about him at length. Finally Harry saw that other people were standing up and exiting the hall. He, too, stood up and wandered back towards the Common Room. He passed Mrs. Weasley who was telling Ron and Ginny that there would be a private burial the following day, and Harry mentally crossed Seeker practice off of his calendar. He went back to Gryffindor Tower alone and started in on homework from the previous day.  
  
Ron, Hermione, and Ginny showed up a little while later and for a while they sat in silence, working on homework. Harry finally finished writing and set down his quill.  
  
"Come on," he said, standing up. "Let's go outside." It was a bright, warm day and Harry thought a walk would do them all some good.  
  
"No, go on, Harry," Hermione said, shaking her head. "We'll stay here."  
  
Harry shrugged and looked at Ginny. "What about you?" She nodded and Harry held out a hand, which she used to pull herself up. Harry noticed she didn't let go as they exited the Common room and made their way toward the lake.  
  
"Harry," Ginny said after a while, "Mum said there's going to be a burial tomorrow. So can we just-"  
  
"It's okay," Harry interrupted. "I heard. Do you want to reschedule the practice or skip it altogether?"  
  
"Would it be alright if we just skip it?" Ginny asked with a slight note of apprehension in her voice. Harry had become almost fanatical about Quidditch practices lately as he desparately wanted to humiliate Slytherin in the upcoming game. Ginny didn't want to start him off ranting about the importance of training and all that.  
  
"Of course," Harry said, easing Ginny's tension. "I only wish I could be there for you," he added softly.  
  
"Sorry about that. Mum wants this to just be the family, and as often as she's said you're like a son to her, this really should be private." Ginny smiled a little through the tears budding in her eyes.. "But you can comfort me when I get back...."  
  
Harry smiled back and agreed with her. They continued to talk and walk around the lake until it started to grow dark. Harry led her back to the castle at that point, going straight to dinner. After a silent meal they went back and did more homework, stopping around midnight when Ginny stated that she and Ron would have to be up early in the morning for the burial. Ginny and Harry shared a short kiss, mirrored by Ron and Hermione, then seperated to their dorms.  
  
The next day dawned muggily. Harry went down to the Common room, realising he would have to go an entire day without seeing Ginny. Hermione found herself in the same situation, so they spent the day together. Hermione questioned Harry about his relationship with Ginny a little more closeley than was comfortable, and Harry returned the favour with vigour. They finally ended their questioning and started in on homework, stopping for meals only. Around six in the evening Harry and Hermione came back from dinner to find Ron and Ginny waiting for them. They both looked tired and red-eyed, but Ron still found a way to joke.  
  
"Hey, Potter, you trying to steal my girlfriend?" he asked when he saw Harry and Hemione come in together.  
  
"And you, Weasley, are you trying to steal mine? Of course, that's a little worse-ouch!" Harry clutched his arm where Ginny had punched him.  
  
"Sorry," she amended before hugging him and leaning on him.  
  
"How'd it go?" Harry asked softly.  
  
"It was tiring. And sad. It's going to be tough," Ginny sighed, taking a seat.  
  
"Have you eaten anything?" Harry asked her.  
  
"Yeah, we had some food after. I just want to go to bed, I think." Ginny stood up and Ron did the same. Harry kissed Ginny deeply and she went up to her dorm. Ron had already dissapeared, but whether it was to bed or dinner Harry didn't know. He sat down and read a little, stopping around eight and bidding Hermione good night.  
  
He went up to his dorm to find Ron already snoring. Shaking his head Harry changed and got into bed.  
  
The next week passed slowly, filled with classes, homework, and Quidditch. Sunday finally rolled around and Harry made sure he tired out both Ginny and himself with an endless barrage of dives and races and diversionary tactics. Finally they ended and went back to dinner. Harry had high hopes for the upcoming game. It was already two weeks into May, and the game was one week away.  
  
The next week passed much quicker than the previous two, marked mainly by team practices on Monday, Tuesdsay, and Wendesday nights and a lengthy Seeker session on Thursday. Friday finally rolled around, and Harry noticed that the tension between the enemy houses was making everyone very jumpy. Harry was forced to defend himself from several hexes thrown at him by Slytherins in breaks between the classes, and it was a relief to retire to the common room to work on his homework that night. He took a break for dinner, then got back to work, stopping around nine to call the team to bed. However, spirits were high in the common room and no one heard him over the noise of Zonko's and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products.  
  
"Sonorous," he muttered, pointing his wand at his throat as Ludo Bagman had done and the Quidditch world cup and the Triwizard Tournament. "Team, bed!" his voice thundered out, causing instant silence. No one moved for a moment, so Harry said, "Now!" He watched as the entire team except for himself and Ginny went up to bed. "Quietus," he muttered before kissing Ginny good night.  
  
"Good luck," she said. "I love you." She smiled and went up to bed herself. Harry fell asleep happy, Ginny's voice echoing in his head, "I love you, I love you," while he pictured her making her famous reverse pass and scoring against a monkey wearing Slytherin robes.  
  
AN: Okay, I have a long note for you. I've been grounded, but today I was on for a litte while. I was able to upload everything I've written recently and hopefully I can get this up today too. Please review when you're done reading! Yes, this is a short filler chapter to get to the game. I'm quite looking forward to this. I read an excellent fic not hosted on ff.n (you have to search, I forget where it is) called Naked Quidditch Match, which doesn't really have much to do with the actual Quidditch match at all. Almost the entire thing (except for the last two chapters) is Mmails back and forth, mocking Moldiemort, etc. Very funny, very entertaining. Please read it if you can find it. Anyway, here's the rest of my note.  
  
I was amazed when I logged on for the first time in days today and found I had 27 reviews! Plus a bunch on my other fics, too! Thanks to all my reviewers. Here are replies to all of you.  
  
CreativeQuill: Here's more! Yup, I'm a guitarist. You get the hundred points for getting the Schecter thing!  
  
Charming Visions: Thanks for all the compliments. Here's your update.  
  
sabrina: Lol thanks. Wanna go out for dinner and a movie? :-D  
  
amzy: Yeah, I am. I might do a book one day, a fantasy/romance sorta thing. Yeah, Gin should be stronger in that respect. Um.. it's rated R just to be safe, I guess. Thanks for the reviews!  
  
Charmergirl07: That's all right! Here's your update!  
  
Athena Dumbledore: Thanks, I think.  
  
secretlvr: Thanks again for your multiple reviews. Hey, I end SOME with going to sleep, and I start some with the dreams, don't I? Anyway, thanks.  
  
jessjica: Thanks again. Yeah, it does get heated sometimes, I guess. And yes, Ron and Hermione needed to be caught sometime, it was definitely neccessary. I had the same problem you did with reviewing, actually. It's really annoying. Fluff! Fluff galore! Thanks:-D.  
  
Also thanks to everyone who has me in their favorites or alert list. You are:  
  
Favorites: CreativeQuill, ShaneXvga, Tanydwr   
  
Author Alert: Charmergirl07, taself, THE VAMPIRE IN THE SHADOWS, ShaneXvga, EternalSleep, Athena Dumbledore, pandamoanium, Charming Visions. CreativeQuill  
  
I'm honoured.  
  
Now, please review! I'm please with the amound I gained in just a few days, but it would still be nice to have more. Thanks. See you in chapter twenty four! 


	24. Slytherin's Humiliation

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Twenty Four: Slytherin's Humiliation  
  
Harry woke up at dawn the next day, still amused by his dreams last night. He laid in bed for a while, thinking about the upcoming match, and when the sun was fully risen he rose and woke his fellow teammates from his dorm, leading them down to the common room. He talked for a while with the others until he saw Ginny appear, at which point he stood up and announced that it was time for breakfast. They all went down together, and midway through the meal the rest of the team arrived. No one was eating much, but Harry was still trying to force them. Finally, at nine o'clock, Harry ordered everyone back to the common room.  
  
There they waited, going over tactics and checking their equipment, until ten-thirty, when they left as a group to the locker room. Harry told them to play well, clean, fair, and have fun. He also shortly stressed the importance of keeping away from the dirty-playing Slytherins as possible, getting the points high and giving the crowd an entertaining game before the capture of the Snitch, and humiliating Slytherin through utter defeat. Then he heard the commentator announcing the Slytherin team and he stood up.  
  
"Okay, let's go," he said. "Starting team, in order. Mount. Out."  
  
The commentator announced them through the magical megaphone, "I give you this year's Gryffindor starting team, Creevey, Creevey, Weasley, Thomas, Finnigan, Weasley, and Potter!" The team appeared as seven reddish blurs speeding onto the pitch. Harry went to the middle where Madam Hooch was standing and shook the Slytherin captain's hand, but he didn't stoop to the level of trying to break his bones in the proccess. He heard the whistle blow and he took to the air. As usual Malfoy tailed him, but Harry just ignored him and tried to concentrate on the game.  
  
Five minutes later Gryffindor scored another goal, making the total thrity-zero, and then Harry saw the Snitch. He knew Malfoy hadn't seen it, but he dived in the opposite direction anyway, and he heard Malfoy grunting, trying to keep up. Hand outstretched, look of intense concentration on his face, Harry pulled up at the last second-but Malfoy didn't crash. Looking around Harry saw his opponent speeding in the other direction, not far from the Snitch. Surprised, Harry sped the other way. He was behind Malfoy, Malfoy was ten feet away, five feet away and they were even-then Harry gave a burst of speed and came ahead, but instead of catching the Snitch he stopped in front of it, letting it get away. Glaring, Malfoy started to take a swing and Harry, but Harry was too quick; he urged his broom upward, ignoring Malfoy's half-groan, half-scream of frustration and dissapointment. Harry watched the game again, and for ten mintues Gryffindor scored goal after goal after goal.  
  
Then suddenly things changed, Slytherin had the Quaffle, they were shooting-they scored. Two hundred seventy to ten. Not a bad score at all, but Harry would have preferred if Slytherin hadn't scored at all. Suddenly, he saw the Snitch, and this time he decided to go for it. It was hovering in the middle of the field, in plain sight, and Harry dived down on top of it. He stretched out his hand and felt Malfoy snatch his robes. Harry shook his arm but, realising Malfoy wasn't letting go, he stretched out his left hand for the Snitch and used his right to punch Malfoy in the stomach. Just as Malfoy groaned in pain and let go of Harry, Harry closed his fist around the Snitch, holding it high. The whistle blew and the game was ended. The final score was 420-10, an amazing victory. The Quidditch Cup once again would find a home in McGonagal's office, and Harry was sure there would be an incredible celebration that night. He floated back to the ground and saw the reserve team pouring out onto the pitch. Thirteen people were cheering and grinning and patting Harry on the back as Harry beamingly recieved the Quidditch Cup.  
  
That night there was a party to remember. Harry got Dobby to bring them lots of food and drink, and McGonnagal put off coming and telling them to go to bed until four in the morning, just as a box of Filibuster's went off. Finally around four-thirty everyone except Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had gone, and soon Ron and Hemione had also bid them good night and gone to sleep.  
  
Sighing, Harry took a seat on a sofa. He smiled as Ginny sat with him, reclining onto his chest. He stroked her hair and whispered, "Good night, Gin." He kissed her forehead and added, "Love you."  
  
"You too," he heard her reply as he fell asleep.  
  
AN: What do you think? How's Ron going to react to THIS one? I, for one, can't wait to find out. BTW, do you think I should change the name of this story? I had originally planned to include more on Moldy-warts and Co. searching for a way to defeat Harry, for a way to get Ginny, a way to harm Harry's friends, and Harry searching for Ginny's love and for Quidditch victories and all, but it ended up more fluffy and light and quicker with the romance. What do you think? Anyway, here's my latest speech, if you don't want to read it just skip it and please review.  
  
Well, I'm still grounded so you probably won't get any more chapters (including this one) until Friday the 16th (which is also the date of my next gig, I can't wait, we're doing a bunch of new stuff), or even later, I don't know. I'm really sorry about the wait, I realise how frustrating it can be. Please, if you read this, read my other fics and review them too. Muggle Quidditch is a just-plain weird one-shot; Harry's Got the Blues is a short, sad fic with a shameless plug of myself and my (hopefully) future band; Last Will and Testament is Harry Potter's Will, yes, he's dead; The Duelling Club is a short fic where Malfoy gets beat up and I toss in a bunch of stuff from my fencing club; Rambling is a two-chapter one-shot (yup) which is REALLY weird; and Ginny, my second-most-popular fic, comes in four parts-Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny-each from that persons point of view about an incident in the common room, and it's short and fluffy and hopefully good. Anyway, please go read those, and read everyone on my Favorites list, especially Ashwinder who I try to emulate and dbzdragonlanceman who is incredible. Now that you've made your way through this note, please review! And wish me luck with my new version of "All Along the Watchtower" for Friday! 


	25. Trouble With Ron

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Twenty Five: Trouble With Ron  
  
Harry woke up the next day to hear two people whispering loudly. One was obviously angry and the other was trying to keep the first calm. Harry wasn't sure why someone was whispering like this in his dorm, but then he remembered-he wasn't in his dorm! He felt a weight on his chest and realized he must have fallen asleep on the couch with Ginny. Groaning a little, he opened his eyes. The whispers stopped and he heard two people approaching.  
  
"'Morning, Harry," Hermione said in a falsley bright voice.  
  
"Hey, Hermione," Harry said heavily. "Hi Ron. Before you say anything, this isn't what it looks like, okay?"  
  
Harry tried to sit up, but Ginny didn't seem to want to let go. "Hey, Gin," Harry said softly to her, "we've got company."  
  
"Huhh?" Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around. "Oh... oh no." She took one look at Ron, who was red in the face and seemingly about to explode, before sitting up and saying, "Ron, this isn't what it looks like."  
  
"I know," Ron grated harshly. "Harry just told me. It better not be! What are-why are you two-what's going on?!"  
  
"Look, Ron," Harry said, trying to soothe his friend, "last night, after the party, after you and 'Mione left, I sat down and Gin sat with me and I just zonked out, I guess. I was really tired after that game and the party and it was four-thirty, five o'clock. Really. Just fell asleep, is all."  
  
Ron obviously wasn't buying Harry's story, but Harry was saved from furthur confrontation by Hermione, who said, "Well, it's about noon, I think. We only just got up, we were about to go down to lunch, so do you want to come with us?"  
  
Harry politely declined and waited until they were out of the portrait hole before letting off a round of expletives that shocked Ginny into staring at him.  
  
"Mr. Potter!" she exclaimed, "watch your language!" Harry smiled and muttererd an apology.  
  
"It's just, GInny, Ron's not going to talk to me for weeks now." Harry sighed and stood up, helping Ginny to her feet.  
  
"Do you regret it?" Ginny asked, grinning at him.  
  
"Not one bit," Harry said, leaning in for a kiss.  
  
"Urghh, morning breath," Ginny laughed, pushing him away. "Go take a bath and meet me back here, then we can do some of that." She grinned at pecked him on the cheek, and he trudged off to his dorm.  
  
Fifteen minutes later Ginny reappeared in the common room where Harry was waiting for her on the couch. "'Morning," he said lazily, "or rather, good afternoon."  
  
Ginny sat down next to him and sighed. "Shall we go to lunch?" she asked.  
  
"Are you hungry?" Harry returned. She shook her head, he hair catching the sunlight and glinting in shades of red and gold, and Harry realized just how lucky he was to have a girl like her.  
  
"Then I don't see any reason to go down," he answered. She smiled before leaning over to him. He caught her mouth briefly but pulled back. "We probably shouldn't, not right now," he said wearily. "If Ron and Hemione come back in...."  
  
"You're right," she said, standing up. "Why don't we just go eat something, so they don't get suspicious about what we're doing up here?"  
  
Harry agreed and led the way to lunch. All through the meal Ron stoically looked away and said nothing, pretending Harry and Ginny didn't even exist. Harry was only too glad to play along, as he definitely didn't want another confrontation. After lunch Hermione pulled Harry and Ginny aside while Ron stood a little way away, looking at the ceiling.  
  
"Listen, you two, I don't know what went on last night," Harry and Ginny started to protest, so she continued a little louder, "and I don't really care. What you two do is your own business. But please be careful about where you're found! I'm going to have a bit of trouble bringing Ron to his senses after this. He's going to be angry for a long time, I think. I just have to convince him your story is true. It is true, isn't it?" she asked, eyebrow raised.  
  
Harry and Ginny reassured her and agreed with her, then left her alone to take care of Ron.  
  
That night Harry and Ginny were playing chess when Ron walked up to them, glancing nervously at Hemione. "Hello Ron," Harry said a little stiffly, earning a kicking under the table from Ginny.  
  
"Hi Harry. Look, about this morning, I, umm...." He took a deep breath and looked at Hermione for support. Turning back to the waiting pair, he continued, "I overreacted, I guess. I guess you were telling the truth, you just fell asleep, it's just that... well, Ginny's my baby sister, Harry, and you're my best friend and this is going to take some getting used to. I mean I guess I've had all year to get used to it, I just haven't yet. So, err... sorry," he trailed off.  
  
Harry grinned and said, "No problem, mate. Now how do you think I could actually beat your baby sister at this?" he asked, gesturing towards the chess board.  
  
Half an hour later they were all friends again, no tension between them, and nothing pleased Harry more. However, just before they went to bed, Ron said to Harry in an undertone, "And you sleep in your bed tonight, alone."  
  
"Of course," Harry replied smoothly before kissing Ginny good night right in front of her staring brother. "I love you, he said softly, before turning to a pink Ron and grinning at him. "G'night, Ron, Hermione," he said jovially, going up to bed.  
  
AN: So you see Ron's reaction and how he gets over it, then. What do you think? Is this realistic? Please, review and tell me! I actually don't have much of a rant for you right now, it's still early in the morning so nothing's happened that I can tell you all about. Only that this story is ALMOST DONE! I think between one and three more chapters will have it, and then I'll take a break for about half a month before starting on a sequel, which should be a little better since I've had more time to think about it. Really, I planned this story and wrote the first two or three chapters all in under two hours, so I didn't have time to think about what I was writing first. The sequel has had more development time, though, so it will be better, I think. Hey look, there's my rant! I just told you all about this story and suddenly I have a really long Note like always! Anyway, I have to go, I have chores and stuff to do. Please review and wish me luck for tomorrow night's gig! 


	26. Making Up

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Twenty Six: Making Up  
  
Finally exam week approached, and Harry was relieved to find that their sixth year tests were easier than OWLs, but Hermione still forced study schedules on them all and made them stay up late studying. Finally they took their last test, History of Magic, and went back to the common room to let off a little tension. A party seemed to grow out of nowhere and soon Harry was bringing food and drink back from the kitchen. When Ginny arrived on the scene Harry took her off to a quiet corner to relax and play chess. He noticed Ron was hanging around them a little more than normal, and Harry attributed this to the position in which they had been found that morning.  
  
The party fizzled out around eleven and, exhausted, everyone went to bed. Harry and Ron were the last people to leave the common room, and before they went up to their dorm Ron had a little talk with Harry.  
  
"Listen, Harry," he said, staring at the ground, "about Ginny, um... well, I just wanted to let you know that if you... if, well-um, well... just be careful with her, okay? I mean, well," Ron's ears were turning pink and he was rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Just, like, be careful, okay? She's still my baby sister, and she's only sixteen, you know."  
  
Harry finally realized what Ron was talking about and he stared, dumbfounded that Ron would bring up this subject. Eager to gain Ron's approval of his relationship with Ginny, he said, "Oh, right. Of course. I mean, yeah, I know what you mean. Err... I know it sounds like I'm prying, but, well, you and Hermione, have you-?" He left in hanging, and an awkward silence grew between them.  
  
Finally Ron broke it by just telling the truth. "Almost." Then Ron went red and turned and went to the dorm. Harry stood for a moment, wondering what "almost" meant. Finally he came to the conclusion that it must mean that they stopped, like he and Ginny had, or had been caught, or something like that. Shrugging, he followed Ron and went to bed.  
  
The next day Harry had mostly forgotten his talk with Ron the night before, and things were, again, back to normal between them. However, he did see Ron talking to Ginny a little after lunch, and wondered what they were talking about, since Ron seemed quite nervous and embarrased while Ginny looked pretty angry. Finally Ron turned away and sat with Hermione and Harry approached Ginny.  
  
"Can you believe it?" she asked him furiously. "That git! He came over to tell me-well, he said he talked to you last night about the same thing." Harry flushed, remembering.  
  
"Oh. I think he just... well, I don't really know what, I guess," he finished lamely.  
  
"He said," Ginny grated, "that he doesn't want to be an uncle before he graduates!" Harry flushed as she continued. "Of course, with as many brothers as we have, he should already be, but you know what he means! Honestly, the nerve of it!"  
  
Ginny didn't speak to Ron the rest of the day, so Harry and Hermione acted as go-betweens between the two of them, which became quite annoying after a few hours.  
  
Near the end of the day Hermione brought Ron over to where Harry and Ginny were playing Exploding Snap and said, "Okay, you two, this has gone on long enough. It's time to stop! Harry and I won't spend the rest of the school year as messengers between you two! Now, Ginny, all Ron wanted was to make sure you were being careful, and Ron, Ginny's just angry because she can take care of herself and you're treating her like she's six years old. Now, talk to each other! Go on!"  
  
Hermione took Harry away and lost utterly to him at chess while Ron and Ginny talked a bit. Finally, after a spectacular checkmate, Ron came over to Harry and relieved his post as Hermione's opponent, and Harry went back to where Ginny was shuffling a fresh deck of cards.  
  
"Well?" he asked, sitting down.  
  
"We made up," she said shortly. "He realized he was being a git and I know he's just overprotective. So it's all fine now." She starting building a card castle, which exploded just as she placed the last card on. "Well," she said, patting her smoking eyebrows, "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for bed." They stood up and kissed before parting to their seperate dorms.  
  
When Ron came up not long after he said to Harry, "I guess Ginny told you we talked, and... well, I guess were all fine now, right?" Harry nodded and Ron said, "Okay. Well, good night."  
  
Harry said, "'Night, Ron," and closed his curtains. He fell asleep, dreaming about Ginny.  
  
AN: Well, this is the second to last chapter, I think. What do you think? Hopefully I'll post these tonight or on Saturday or something. Please review! I'll reply to all my reviews for this story (after the first 27, which already have replies) in the very last chapter, which I'll post a little later than chapters 24-26. Also, please read and review my other stories, if it's not too much trouble. The fourth chapter of "Ginny" is on the way-Ginny's POV! Okay, please review! 


	27. Using Ginny

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Twenty Seven: Using Ginny  
  
Harry dreamt of Ginny. Ginny saying she loved him, Ginny sleeping with him on the sofa, Ginny eating with in the Room of Requirement, Ginny sitting at a table in the common room in a comfortable armchair. All memories of Ginny. People talking about Ginny. Strange people were here in black robes and masks. Harry tried to call out, but no sound came from his mouth. The people were talking about Ginny, talking about using her. Talking about going through Ginny to get to Harry, talking about using Ginny to hurt Harry, talking in emotionless voices, and there was another, one with a cold, high voice, one who was Harry. Something inside Harry knew what was happening and listened to the conversation.  
  
Then Harry spoke, ending the discussion. They were going to use Ginny. To hurt Harry. Harry woke up, cold and clammy, in his bed. He sat up straight and bit his tongue to keep from crying out-the pain in his forehead was worse than it had been all year, it blinded him, he saw white-.  
  
Harry woke up in his bed, tangled in the sheets, the curtains were closed but he saw through them that it was already light out. Remembering his dream He untangled himself, dressed, and went down to the common room, to find it empty. He looked outside and found that it wasn't late in the day, so he went down to breakfast, where he found Ron, Hermione, and Ginny eating cheerily. He sat with them but didn't eat, and when Hermione asked him if anything was wrong he nodded silently. The others finished eating quickly, and while they did Harry glanced up at the head table to find that Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagal was missing-of course! Snape was probably there last night, Harry realized.  
  
He took them back to the common room and told them the contents of his dream and what he had noticed at breakfast, and Hermione insisted they go straight to Dumbledore's office. Harry didn't feel like arguing so all four of them went together, stopping only when they realized they didn't know the password. Luckily a second later Proffessors Snape and McGonagal emerged, Snape looking tired and McGonagal worried.  
  
"Oh!" she exclaimed, seeing them. "I was just going to get you, Ms. Weasley," she said to Ginny. "Please come with me." She turned back to the moving staircase.  
  
"Proffesor," Ginny said quickly, "can they..." she trailed off, waving a hand at the other three.  
  
McGonagal raised an eyebrow and said, "Has the so called 'dream team' gained a fourth member? Very well, follow me, all of you." She swept up the staircase and knocked on the door.  
  
"Come," said Dumbledore's voice, and McGonagal opened the door. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow when he saw all of them, and McGonagal explained.  
  
"She insisted," she said simply. Dumbledore nodded and waved his wand, conjuring up more chairs.  
  
"Sit down, please," he said, and when they were seated, he started to talk. "Professor Snape observed a Death Eater meeting last night, in which you, Ms. Weasley, were the main topic of discussion. They seemingly wish to find a way to use you to harm Mr. Potter here. I assume you saw all this in a dream?" Dumbledore asked Harry, who nodded. "From the Dark Lord's perspective?"  
  
"I was him again," Harry explained.  
  
Dumbledore nodded and continued, "And I also suppose Mr. Potter has told you what he has seen?" They nodded and he said, "Then I don't think we have much else to talk about. Mr. Potter, if you have any more dreams, please come straight to me, and Mrs. Weasley, if anything at all strange or out of the ordinary occurs, be it as slight as strange ideas forming in your head unlike those you normally think, please come to me. I believe Voldemort-" four people in the room flinched "-is going to attempt to enter your mind and control you. We cannot allow this to happen. If I am unreachable, please go to Professor McGonagal. Minerva," he said, turning to the Transfiguration teacher, "under the circumstances would Occlumency be advisable?"  
  
McGonagal made a signal they couldn't see and Dumbledore dissmissed them. They rushed out of the room, and Harry immediately said, "Gin, you can't take Occlumency, at least not from Snape. He's horrible, he'll be as horrible as possible to you!"  
  
"Well," she said slowly, "I also can't let You-Know- oh, all right! VOLDEMORT possess me again, especially not to hurt you. I won't let it happen."  
  
"All right, Ginny," Harry said submissively.  
  
That night Harry took Ginny aside as Ron and Hermione were going to bed and whispered in her ear, "Want to go to the Room of Requirement?"  
  
Ginny raised an eyebrow curiously but nodded and said, "Back down in half an hour?"  
  
Harry agreed, kissed her good night and clearly went upstairs to his dorm, and as he changed he once again tucked the Invisibility Cloak and Marauder's Map under his pyjamas, with a slight sense of deja vu. He waited ten minutes before opening his curtains. He stayed still for a moment before climbing out of bed and casting a Silencing Charm on the door. He opened it cautiously and crept down the stairs. Twenty minutes had passed by the time he was settled under the cloak in an armchair with a good view of the stairs to the girls' dorm. Finally he saw Ginny tip-toeing down, and he removed the cloak and stood up. He activated the Map and kissed Ginny, then cast a Silencing Charm over the cloak and made sure they were both covered up. They held a full-volume conversation on the way to the Room of Requirement, but the Silencing Charm did it's work and no sound escaped from under the Invisibility Cloak.  
  
Finally they arrived and Harry took off the cloak walked back and forth, envisioning a small room with various items of furniture inside. He opened the door and saw the room just as he imagined. It was about the size of a large bedroom and had inside a fireplace, two comfortable armchairs, a large cushioned sofa, a table with some Butterbeers and snacks on it, and a large grandfather with a very loud tick. Harry whispered "Silencio" once more, this time over the entire room, before stepping inside.  
  
They sat across the table from each other, drinking and talking about their experiences with Dark forces, their feelings about the whole thing, and eventually their feelings about each other. They ended up snuggled together on the sofa whispering to each other drowsily. Suddenly the clock chimed one in the morning and Harry's eyes went wide.  
  
"Hey, Gin," he said urgently. She murmured sleepily and rubbed against him. "Sorry, Ginny, but we really should get back. That's why I put the clock in here, so we wouldn't get in trouble with Ron again. Come on, let's go." He stood up and pulled a protesting Ginny to her feet. He kissed her deeply before renewing the charm on the cloak and picking up the map. He opened the door, put the cloak over them, and they went back to the common room silently. Harry gave the password and crept in, listening carefully. He heard nothing, so he went in, followed by Ginny. However, just as he was about to go up the stairs he froze.  
  
"Pssst!" Ginny hissed, grinning and pointing at a sofa near the fireplace, the same one in which Harry and Ginny had fallen asleep. Harry crept around and then grinned back. On the sofa Ron and Hermione were laying together, both clearly asleep. Ron's arms were around Hermione and she was curled up on top of him, head on his chest. Harry cast a Silencing Charm on the whole area before kissing Ginny.  
  
"Good night, love," he said, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.  
  
"Same to you," she said back, squeezing his hand and going up the stairs.  
  
AN: Well, I think this is just about it. One more, at the most two more chapters, then I'll take between two weeks and a month off to plan and start the sequel. After I post chapters 24  
  
through the second to last of this story, I'll wait a little to get some reviews in, then I'll post the very last chapter. Same thing with "Ginny," I'll post chapter three and wait, then chapter four (which I've already written). Actually this is the fourth thing I've written today-3 chapters for YoS and one for Ginny. I'll probably do one more tonight, then post them sometime this weekend. Please, please, please review and tell me what you think! I need to know, and need your words of encouragement and constructive criticism! No flames please, but if you want to tell me KINDLY if I should improve something, I'd be glad to listen. BTW, the sequel will have (a) Longer chapters (b) More chapters (c) More scenes with Death Eaters and Dark stuff (d) More scenes in classes (e) Better romance (f) Better writing all around (g) And MIGHT be beta read, but not definitely. I'm quite looking forward to it, actually. Can't wait. Now, REVIEW and you'll get a MOOKIE (whatever that is, I think I stole it from Moni Jane), DON'T and you'll get HIT with a PILLOW (possibly stolen from the same person). Anyway, yeah. Do that. Bye. See you in Chapter 28. 


	28. Moonlit Ride

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Twenty Eight: Moonlit Ride  
  
The next week the exam results were handed out, and Harry was relieved to find that he had done well in everything, even History of Magic in which he had just guessed at most of the answers and Potions, where Snape had been breathing down his neck and making him nervous and jumpy the entire time. Of course Hermione aced everything, and Ron did decently in most subjects. Ginny was nervous about her results but, of course, had to wait for them to arrive over the summer.  
  
The last week at Hogwarts was spent playing chess, exploding snap, walking around the grounds, and playing Quidditch for fun. The night before they were to leave, Harry stuffed the invisibility cloak under his robes and set his Firebolt on his bed, leaving the window in his dorm open. After dinner he pulled Ginny aside, letting Ron and Hermione go in before them. "Are you busy tonight?" he asked.  
  
"Nope!" Ginny replied brightly. "Did you have something in mind?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Harry nodded and said, "Yeah, come on." He led her to a deserted corridor near the entrance hall where he covered them with the invisibility cloak and a Silencing Charm.  
  
"Where are we going?" Ginny asked curiously, but Harry just shook his head and smiled. He took her outside, down near the edge of the Forbidden Forest. "Not in the forest?!" Ginny exclaimed, but again Harry shook his head. He pulled off the cloak once they were in the shadow of the trees, and produced his wand from the sleeve of his robes.  
  
"Accio Firebolt!" he cried, concentrating. Suddenly his broomstick was flying towards him, and he caught it in midair. He stuff his the cloak back under his robes and made the broom hover. He mounted and turned to Ginny. "Well, come on," he said to her, grinning.  
  
She mounted behind him and asked again, "Where are we going?"  
  
"Impatient! You'll see, Gin. Just hold on." Harry took a firm grip on the handle as he felt Ginny's arms wrap around his waist. He urged the broom upward and a moment later they were soaring over the castle. It was a pleasantly warm night, with clear, starry skies and a silver crescent moon. Harry flew them around the castle and then, on a whim, over the forest. Then he circled back and glided over the Quidditch pitch.  
  
"What'd'you think?" he asked, hovering. He realized well over an hour had passed with their airborne exploration of the grounds, and he was secretly delighted to have spent so much uninterrupted time with Ginny.  
  
"Harry, this is wonderful," Ginny replied, snuggling closer to him and sighing contentedly. "I'm so lucky, you're so romantic this way."  
  
Harry grinned at this and replied, "I'm the lucky one, Gin, I've got you." Then he soared upward, stopping when they reached the window of the sixth-year boys' dorm in Gryffindor tower. Harry peeked inside and saw five beds with closed curtains, and listened for a moment. After making sure he heard four people snoring or breathing deeply and evenly, he moved forward a little, allowing Ginny to look in. She giggled a little but didn't say anything until Harry flew upward and around, drifting down and landing on top of the Astronomy tower.  
  
"I didn't think about it, but I bet I could get my broom and sit up there and watch you all anytime I wanted, couldn't I?" she asked, giggling.  
  
"What," said Harry, "I'm not enough for you? You need FIVE of us to keep you satisfied?" Ginny slapped his arm and laughed, hopping off the broom.  
  
"You're more than enough for me, Harry," she said as he set the Firebolt down and wrapped his arms around her.  
  
"That's nice to know," he murmered, leaning in.  
  
A few minutes later they were mounting the broom again, and a moment later they were soaring back to Gryffindor Tower. Ginny directed Harry to her room, and Harry said, "You know, I could watch YOU anytime I wanted, too, sitting here wearing my cloak. How do you know I haven't?" he asked jokingly.  
  
"You haven't, have you?" Ginny asked apprehensively.  
  
"Of course not," Harry said soothingly before pulling up the window. Ginny climbed in and Harry backed up a little. "I love you," he whispered. "Good night.  
  
"'Night, Harry," Ginny replied. Harry drifted up a little and leaned in for one more kiss. They broke apart and Ginny backed into her room. Harry waved and soared upward. Once he was well above the castle he let out an exhilarated whoop before diving to the base of the tower, brushing the grass with his left hand. Then he circled back upward to his own window. He paused, listening, then he carefully moved from the broom to the window, taking the Firebolt in after him. He changed silently and stored his broom and cloak away, before settling into bed. This was easily one of the best nights he had ever had.  
  
AN: Okay, yup, uh-huh. Well, this is the second-to-last chapter! BTW, I just realized how much I left out-OWL scores over the summer, lots to do with choosing classes and all-Harry could have dropped Potions, and I forgot all that! But anyway, it hasn't gone too badly, has it? We're near the middle of my two-part fic, and the end of this part. I hope I haven't lost anyone along the way, and I know I've gained dozens, for which I am very grateful. Please review and tell me everything you liked and didn't about this fic, but don't flame! I'll post answers to reviews in the next chapter and then I'll take a break for a few weeks to start on my version of Book Seven, in which I WILL IMPROVE! I promise.  
  
I decided to go ahead and put in another rant, since I haven't done much of one in the other three chapters for this I wrote today or the chapter for "Ginny," even. So here it is. It was fencing again, tonight, and I was sorely dissapointed to find that my friend Kieran wasn't there! I've been looking foward to tonight since Tuesday so I could talk to him about my latest chapters, but he wasn't there! Hopefully I'll see him Monday and then I can talking to him about the end of this fic. He's been my one of my most faithful readers and reviewers, and his support both at fencing and online has been great. If you like fics from the Inuyashu category, check him out. I personally don't, really, but then again I don't really like most fanfics unless they're Harry Potter, and even then I'm pretty selective, esp. with the romance, which MUST be H/G. Always H/G. Or, according to one neat little graphic I saw, "H/G, Just Wait" which I hope is true. Anyway, see you later.  
  
Now that I'm done that, please review and tell me stuff! See you in the last chapter! Here are replies to reviews I've recieved.  
  
Vitreum: Thank you, thank you. I'm not sure how to respond to the rest, really....  
  
ShaneXvga: Hollow threat? Just keep practicing! Form! Timing! Distance! Control! And maybe it won't be so hollow. Yeah, I killed Charlie. Yes, you've called me a sicko before, in the Last Will story. You're wrong, though. I'm not a sicko, I'm a psycho. Easy to confuse the two, I suppose. Don't worry, no more will die (in this story, at least)!  
  
Godsgirl2480: Thanks, I'm flattered.  
  
elija'stheone: Yeah, I know what you mean. Thanks, and I'll try not to let you down! 


	29. Return to the Muggles

Harry Potter and the Year of Searching  
  
Chapter Twenty Nine: Return to the Muggles  
  
Harry woke up the morning of their departure refreshed and ready. He showered and dressed, then stuffed the last of his belongings into his trunk before heading down to breakfast. In the common room he met up with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, and they bantered lightly over eggs and toast.  
  
Finally they were riding in the thestral-drawn carriages back to the Hogwarts Express, and when they arrived they quickly found a compartment to themselves and settled in. Ginny pulled out a paperback book to read, and Ron and Hermione made themselves comfortable in the opposite seat, Hermione reading "Hogwarts, A History," for what had to be the hundredth time, and Ron browsing through "Which Broomstick."  
  
Harry stared at the window, thinking about the past year. He realised this was his first year without some great adventure at the end. The first year had the whole episode with the Sorcerer's Stone, the second had the Chamber of Secrets, in his third year they ended up catching and then losing Peter Pettigrew and then there were dementors to deal with. And then his fourth year... Harry didn't want to think about that. And in the fifth he had wound up in the Department of Mysteries with all the others. So this, his sixth year, was the first without some great adventure or mishap at the end. For some reason, though, Harry wasn't comforted by this fact; it seemed to him like the calm before the storm. He wondered what was going to happen next year, but quickly pushed that thought aside. Instead, he turned his gaze to Ginny and thought romantic thoughts until lunch time.  
  
After Harry had treated them all to Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties, and other delighs from the cart, they settled back in, but didn't remain comfortable for long.  
  
The door slammed open and in it was an unwelcome trio of Slytherins. "Well well," said Malfoy, sneering, "I see the rumours are true. The Weasel and the Mudblood, the hero and the poor girl. I see you still have no taste, Potter."  
  
"I see you still have no manners, Malfoy. Now leave," Harry said sharply, pulling out his wand. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that his friends were already aiming their wands, and he motioned to them not to do anything.  
  
"No, I don't think I will," Malfoy said, leaning against the door. "Potty-baiting is a fun game. Tell me, Potter, do you still use the locker rooms to make out with your redhead? Easily bought, she is. Just show her someone with a little money and she's all over-" Malfoy was interuppted by a Silencing Charm from Harry, a stunner from Ron, and twin Bat-Bogey Hexes from Hermione and Ginny. All three Slytherins were blasted off their feet, and Harry made sure Crabbe and Goyle carried Malfoy away before closing and locking the door.  
  
"That couldn't have gone better," he said, grinnning. "Did you know that two Bat-Bogey Hexes covers his face in weird lime green tiny fish? Neither did I. Very interesting."  
  
When they arrived at Platform Nine and Three Quarters they exited the train and, loading their trunks into trolleys, came across one Blaise Zabini.  
  
"Hey," said the Slytherin, "just wanted to let you know, Malfoy's still covered in the fish. Good one, that." Harry nodded and grinned, then went through the barrier.  
  
On the other side he found Mrs. Weasley, Tonks, Lupin, and Moody, and also the Dursleys and Hermione's parents. Ron and Ginny were gathered up by Mrs. Weasley while Hermione rushed over to her parents. Harry stood a little way away from the Dursleys, not looking at them. Finally Ron and Ginny came to tell him good bye, and Hermione joined them a moment later.  
  
"Well, Harry," Ron said, "Mum says you're definitely coming over again this summer, dunno when. So I guess just be ready, it might be sudden like it was last summer."  
  
"Yeah, all right. Can't wait," Harry said, grinning. He was dreading the weeks to come where he would be ignored by the Dursleys and forced to eat little, if at all, because of Dudley's diet.  
  
"Harry," Hermione said, "see you over the summer. I'll be at the Burrow too, I hope. Bye." She gave him a little hug, then pulled Ron off a little way away. Ron waved to Harry, who grinned back before turning to Ginny.  
  
He tucked that same stray lock of hair behind her ear and said, looking full into her eyes, "I'll see you soon, I hope. I'll write, too." She nodded. "I love you," Harry whispered.  
  
"I love you too, Harry," she said, standing on tiptoe for a kiss, which Harry was only too glad to give. They broke apart a moment later when they heard someone clearing their throat behind them.  
  
Harry turned and found Lupin watching them. "Hey, Moony," Harry said grinning. "Did you want something? Only I wasn't finished-"  
  
"Just wanted to tell you to keep in touch. Hopefully you'll be going with the Weasleys before long. And also to remember, this summer you're seventeen. You can do magic legally, but don't abuse that, all right? See you in a few weeks."  
  
Lupin retreated to where Moody and Tonks were waiting. Harry glanced around to see where Hermione and Ron had got too, but he was stopped when Ginny said, "I'm waiting." Harry smiled and turned back to an expectant Ginny who recieved the rest of her kiss. Finally they broke apart.  
  
"Bye," Harry said simply.  
  
"See you." Ginny then went to find Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Well," said Uncle Vernon when Harry met up with them, after waving to the Weasleys, Tonks, Lupin, and Moody. "Are you ready? You were attracting attention back there, I'll have you know, you and that little-that-that girl!" Vernon was steaming, but Harry just ignored him.  
  
"Are we leaving?" he asked, imperiously leading them out.  
  
AN: We're over. Done. Caput. Until the next one-shot or the sequel, that is. Did you enjoy it? Did you hate it? Too much fluffy stuff? Not enough? Tell me everything, please. I love to hear from you. Anyway, I'm going to take a while off to start the sequel, then I'll be back and in full form. The sequel will, hopefully, be better, but slower. I'll probably crank out two or three chapters a week instead of my current rate of two or three a day. Hopefully I'll not be grounded by the time I start posting again, so I can post freely after I've written without waiting a few days every time, which get's really annoying.  
  
Please please please review! And wish me luck on this upcoming mission trip, I'm not exactly looking forward to it but I'm playing music there so hopefully I can show those poor people how to rock. A little. Maybe. Oh, and wish me luck also with being grounded. I was able to talk to some folks on AIM yesterday, which was lucky, but unfortunately I was at my grandmother's house, on her computer (which has high-speed internet, lucky old lady), so I couldn't update.  
  
In case you're wondering about the gig I kept telling you all about, it went decently. I mean, I had to sit down because my dad (keyboards) was also sitting down. Usually we both stand, so we were sorta thrown off by the change. Apparently I was fantastic, though, because I recieved some hefty compliments. Anyway. Didn't get paid though, it was just for fun. No tips, even, becuase we didn't bring a jar-the folks who run the coffee shop usually gather up tips for us. Oh well.  
  
SOoooo... review. Now. Push that button. Tell me all. All. Replies to reviews will be posted at the end of the first chapter of the sequel. 


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